The PG Beat: Two in A Row, Zito and Relievers Solid, Offense Unspectacularly Gets It Done, Huff Continues

All right Giants! 3-0 win over the Astros! 2-0! That's how you do it to start off the 2010 season. Combine that with a Rockies loss and a "likely" Diamondbacks loss to the Padres and we're looking at the Giants being in sole position of first place in the NL West (update: Padres take down the Diamondbacks 6-3; Giants in sole possession of first place!)

Granted, it's only after two games, but dang it, I'll take it for now. You can't ask for anything more if you're a Giants fan. (Well...other than a decent leadoff hitter, but we'll leave that for another time. After all, it's only two games, right?)

Anyways, great ugly victory by the Giants. I have a lot of respect for Wandy Rodriguez as a pitcher, so to squeak out a win against him in my mind is no small feat. Heck, taking two from Houston's two best pitchers (Roy Oswalt and Rodriguez) is a pretty good feat, especially considering the pitching drops off so quickly after Rodriguez. Is Oswalt the same pitcher as last year? No, but he's still a solid ace when he's on.

In true PG Beat fashion, let's check out some notes from today's game against the Astros.

-- First off, Zito looked great. Seriously, this is not something Giants fans are used to seeing out of Zito. Usually in the beginning of the year, Zito looks like a wreck. His velocity is down, his breaking balls hang and Giants fans are usually happy if opponents ONLY score three or four runs against him in a game. Well, Zito surpassed those expectations and then some. Six innings, five strikeouts, three hits allowed, and only one walk.

Yes, Tim Lincecum set the bar pretty high last night, but Zito pretty much reached it in my mind. He was going against a better opposing pitcher, a better lineup (Chris Johnson is an upgrade over Geoff Blum in my mind) and he still got the job done. I know it's only one start and it's the beginning of the year, but don't be surprised to see Zito actually be in the All-Star discussions. He may not reach it, but if he is anywhere close to his second-half self from last year, he may reach it.

Today, he made Giants fans believe he is still that "2009 second-half" Zito against the Astros. I haven't said this in a while, but I'm really, really optimistic and happy to have Zito on the Giants roster.

-- Also, I know I have been critical of the Giants bullpen. I have been hard on Brian Wilson, and I actually have lauded the Dodgers for having a slightly better bullpen than the Giants because of Jonathan Broxton and George Sherrill.

I take that all back. The Giants have the best bullpen in the NL West. Wilson has put the nail in the coffin with ease twice already and looks to be worth the cash the Giants handed to him before the season began. Sergio Romo has looked great in two outings. Waldis Joaquin and Dan Runzler weren't perfect, but they certainly got the job done and it was nice to see them get some innings.

And the most amazing thing? The Giants haven't even strolled out their best setup man (Jeremy Affeldt) yet this season. That's how deep the Giants bullpen is. That's why they are better than the Dodgers bullpen.

I deeply apologize to Giants nation for thinking otherwise.

-- Tonight's game offensively for the Giants was a struggle to watch: eight hits, eight singles, three double plays (Rodriguez isn't necessarily an exclusive groundball pitcher, but he still sported a solid 1.21 GB/FB ratio last year, so this isn't necessarily a surprise), no extra base hits.

Yeesh. And I'm not even counting our leadoff batter's performance (another 0-for-5) or the fact that we only had one guy with a multiple hit game (Aubrey Huff, more on him later). However, you can't argue with the results. Three runs is three runs and win is a win, so you can't complain too much.

My main problem right now with this offense? It just doesn't seem to be much better than last year. The Giants still don't seem to take advantage of situations (e.g. grounding into double plays). They still don't seem to hit with much power. They still don't work counts. And lastly, they're still pretty much a station-to-station team with no speed and not willing to play small ball. If the pitching blows up, chances are the offense this year isn't going to cover it, much like last year.

Is that a bad mode of offense? Not really. The Giants won 88 games with this model last year, so I guess if we did it before, we can do it again. However, it makes me wonder: are the Giants just getting incredibly lucky and their luck is going to run out at some point? Or is the Giants pitching so dominant that an around-league average is enough to make the playoffs?

The Giants fan in me wants to believe the latter. The pessimistic baseball fan? Well, I think it's pretty obvious.

-- Speaking of Huff, I'm convinced more and more Huff is going to be a Sean Casey clone with the Giants tis year. I think Huff is going to put up a solid average (in the .270-.300 range), and he's going to get respectable RBI totals (though that really doesn't matter, but for most baseball fans and fantasy guys, let's just pretend it does), but as far as the power, I just don't think Huff is the answer. I'll be surprised if he hits 15 home runs, let alone 20. The power doesn't seem to be there, and I don't know if it'll be there for the rest of the season.

It's early, and maybe Huff is still tweaking his swing. I'll stick with that for now as an optimistic Giants fan, but just so you know, in the back of my mind I'm still thinking "Aubrey Huff: Sean Casey 2.0." (And if you don't believe the comparison, check out Huff's swing on his RBI single tonight and a Casey double in 2008 against the Blue Jays...eerily similar, huh?)

The Giants are 2-0 and that is good enough for me, right now. The Giants have Matt Cain on the hill tomorrow, so I feel even more optimistic than I did yesterday. The fact that the worst case scenario at this point could be the Giants taking two of three in Houston is still a solid way to start to the season.

Let's hope Cain can keep this momentum going.

The PG Beat: Miller and Valdez mercilessly fail, Giants score 11 runs and lose

Man....

Seriously, I do not know what to say.

When I leave to watch the game, it's is 6-1 Giants. Martinez is cruising, and the Giants offense looks like I wished it looked like since the Trade Deadline. Ryan Garko is absolutely killing the ball, and the Giants hitters look absolutely dialed in against a very talented pitcher such as Jorge De La Rosa, who has a history of mowing down Giants hitters (he was 4-0 going into this game).

Then, one two-pound sirloin steak at Cattleman's later, it's an 11-6 game once my family and I get back in the car and turn on the radio. My dad says "I'm not listening to this shit" and turns off the radio. When I get home it's 14-6 Rockies after the seventh, the game, all but lost for the Giants at this point.

Six-run lead? That can be made up. But eight-run lead with two innings to play? Well...that one's a little bit trickier.

Granted, you can pretty much blame this 14-11 loss on one thing: the pitching. Yeah, I know, that's something you don't always say with this Giants team, but this Giants pitching staff, bullpen especially, laid a tremendous duck egg out there tonight.

Martinez went 5 innings, gave up nine hits and six runs. Justin Miller went 0.2 innings and gave up four hits, four runs and two walks. Merkin "I'm a young 28 even though in the D/R everyone is three years older" Valdez went 0.2 innings and gave up two hits, four runs and three walks.

Sorry boys. It doesn't matter if Ryan Garko hits two home runs with those kinds of pitching statistics. When you pitch that poorly against a Rockies team that is pretty good in a ballpark where the ball flies...well...you're pretty much seceding as easily as Czechoslovakia did to the Germans in World War II.

However, I'm not as pissed as many Giants would expect. This offense is turning it around. Garko is starting to show he belongs in the everyday lineup (no thanks to a reverse jinx by me. Am I right? Am I right? Just say yes...fine!) and all those hits that went unrewarded are starting to finally drive in some runs. Furthermore, Panda is starting to look like Panda again and sans one bad inning, Martinez didn't actually look all that bad.

And lastly, Bob Howry. Good stuff from him tonight. For all the crap you get, you sure know how to come in stop the bleeding. Seriously, all those jerkasses who are continuing to dump their ever-amounting frustration on Howry need to ease up. Sure, the guy gives up the walk-off jacks, but he's not our closer, and he can't be expected to be one either. And as far as I'm concerned, Howry is doing us all a favor in those walk-off jacks. He is ending the game earlier for us Giants fans, and he saves us from watching the Giants whiff with RISP for another inning.

At this point, I'm still hopeful for the split, which would be good enough for me. However, the Giants really, really need Freddy Sanchez back in the lineup. We just need his presence in this series, and unfortunately, Juan Uribe and Eugenio Velez simply isn't cutting at the two-bagger.

Please God, if you could, can Freddy get back in the lineup. I would be forever grateful my man.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Jorge De La Rosa (12-8) 6 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO.
Losing pitcher: Justin Miller (2-2) 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO (That's one crappy outing now, isn't it?)

Giants standouts: Pablo Sandoval, 3-for-5, 2 2B (37), HR (19). Nate Schierholtz, HR (5). Ryan Garko, 2-for-5, 2 HR (2). Aaron Rowand, 2-for-4, HR (12). Bengie Molina, 2B (24). Joe Martinez, 2-for-2, 2B (1).
Rockies standouts: Dexter Fowler, 2-for-3, 2 3B (9). Todd Helton, HR (12). Troy Tulowitzki, 2-for-3. Brad Hawpe, 2-for-5, 2B (35). Ian Stewart, 2-for-4, HR (19). Sean Smith, 3B (3).

Probable starters for next game: Lincecum (12-3) vs. Jimenez (11-9).

The PG Beat: Giants take first one from Rockies, Sanchez deals again, RISP still a problem

For a 6-3 Giants win, this game was pretty darn nerve-wrecking. Usually, when you have that kind of lead, you never really feel any kind of panic, especially when it's 6-1 by the seventh. Yet when you factor in Coors Field, and that you're playing the Rockies, well...even a 10 run lead wouldn't feel comfortable for Giants fans. This Rockies team, and the field they play at, makes every game feel like a close one, even if the score suggests otherwise.

The Giants did get a lot of breaks in this one, and I'm not just talking about those big inning-ending double plays either. Troy Tulowitzki wasn't in the lineup. Aaron Cook left the game due to injury after 47 pitches. When you factor in those two events, chances are the game is going to tip in your favor. That being said, as we saw from the Reds series, even if you get all the breaks logically, your team still has to take care of business on the field. Thankfully, the Giants did tonight and gained a game on the Rockies in the Wild Card race.

Again, another solid start from Jonathan Sanchez, even if it was a bit sporadic. He went five innings of two-hit, scoreless baseball with eight strikeouts, but his command still is a problem from time to time. He threw four walks and allowed an unearned run, a classic sign that while he is still improving since being inserted back into the rotation, he still is not quite there in terms of being a really good pitcher. He is good certainly, but he is not even close to that caliber of Lincecum, Cain and even Zito just yet. However, I still remain confident in the kid. He is having the right kind of starts: he isn't making too many mistakes, and he is still befuddling hitters with his stuff. He is having the kind of problems many young pitchers can overcome. All it takes is confidence and more innings.

Even though the offense scored six runs this game, the Giants should have gotten 10 in my mind. RISP still remains a massive problem for this team. Even when they get ideal hitters in the right situations, they still can't produce. First we had Schierholtz with runners on second and third and one out, and he hits a fly ball in the infield. Next, we have the basese loaded with Sandoval, our main man at the plate, and he has a piss poor approach (swings at the first two pitchers even though Eaton walked the two hitters before him) and pops out meagerly to end the inning. I'm absolutely positive now that our RISP woes have more to do with the crappy approach our hitters have rather than any kind of ability. When you're 3-11 with RISP, then something needs to change. I don't care what it takes. If Bochy has to tell his hitters to take a strike with RISP, then do that. All I know is that I'm sick of seeing the Giants waste opportunity after opportunity, especially during this road trip.

Despite those sentiments above, overall, I'm happy with this win. We got the job done and took care of business and with this Giants team, that hasn't been an easy thing to do as of late. The fact that we got a very good start from Sanchez I think bodes good things for this series, especially considering Sanchez is always the guy I'm most nervous about when he takes the hill. While Martinez is no slam dunk, I believe he can have a solid outing as well. If he can muster the control he had in the 10-1 win in New York, than I think the Giants could be very well on the way in terms of taking this series in Colorado, which would be a big back-breaker for this Rockies team that is currently leading the Wild Card race.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Jonathan Sanchez (6-10) 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 SO.
Losing pitcher: Aaron Cook (10-6), 3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO.

Giants standouts: Edgar Renteria, 2-for-4. Bengie Molina, 2-for-5, 2B (23). Aaron Rowand, 3-for-4, HR (11).
Rockies standouts: Dexter Fowler, 2-for-2. Todd Helton, 3-for-5. Sean Smith, HR (10). Chris Iannetta, 2B (12).

Probable starters for next game: Martinez (3-1) vs. De La Rosa (11-8).

The PG Beat: Giants on the other side of Lady Luck, Cain unable to get win 13 (again)

I probably should have posted this earlier, but I didn't for two reasons:

1.) I was busy the whole day running errands before I head down to Los Angeles.
2.) I finally was able to get the loss out of my system after almost ten hours after the game was finished.

This definitely was a tough way to lose. The Giants not only lost, but lost by two solo homers from Laynce "Yep, I'm still here even though I was run out of Texas" Nix, and Drew "Boy, do I know when to hit my first home run" Stubbs. I mean, the Reds mustered nine hits and the Giants mustered 11 and still...the Giants found a way to lose.

How do you lose a game 2-1 to a Cincinnati team that really is falling apart by the day? Well...leaving 10 runners on base and going 2-12 with RISP is a start. Also, when your leadoff hitter and second hitter go 0-9 at the dish as well, you're not going to win that many ball games either.

Let's face it. The Giants really got lucky in this series. Any other team that isn't as incompetent as the Reds, and this could have been a series which the Giants got swept. Thankfully, by the grace of God, the Giants won two out of three and head to Colorado for a pretty crucial series at Coors Field.

This game really was amazing because the Giants got some really key performances from some of their players. Sandoval had three hits, Winn had three hits, Schierholtz had two...when your three-four-five hitters produce like that, you think you would be in good shape, right? Yet unfortunately, as has been the case for the Giants all year, guys in the top of the inning didn't get on, and the big Giants hitters were only able to get punchless hits that ended up having no value at all.

Look, I know Eugenio Velez has been playing well, but the kid needs a day off. His day was as atrocious as it could get. 0-5 at the dish. Couldn't come through twice with runners on (including one piss-poor at-bat where he swung at a crappy first pitch inside and popped out in the infield with a runner on third) and he made a grotesque error where he looked more like Manny Ramirez catching a fly ball rather than a decent second baseman. Sure, Velez has speed, but he doesn't get on base, doesn't steal bases (even though on his attempts Giants hitters are idiots and swing at the pitch, even if it is less than two strikes) and he doesn't really produce runs that great in comparison to anybody else on the team. Velez, in all reality, is better suited as an eight hitter rather than a leadoff. The only problem is the Giants have no options at leadoff this point and they're forced to hit Velez there because every other possibility has been a dud (Lewis, Rowand, Winn, Burriss, etc).

All and all, this game was almost practically like last night's game, only it was the Reds getting the breaks rather than the Giants. Hey, I can live with that. It happens,as much as that pains me as a Giants fan to say that. That being said, it sucks for Matt Cain that in the second half the Giants have gone retro-Matt Cain mode and don't even show up in the big spots at the plate. Seriously, Cain must be having that Michael Corleone moment from "Godfather III" right now. I can see Cain in the dugout after the Giants couldn't come through in the top of the ninth and saying to himself "Just when I thought I was out! They pull me back in!" I seriously hope Cain get win no. 13 this year. As frightening as this sounds, I have this bad, lingering feeling that he might not get it. Forget all the Cy Young talk. I just want the kid to win 13 freaking games this year!

So far, the road trip hasn't been too bad. 4-3 so far isn't a terrible number, especially considering how bad the Giants run generation has been this year. All I can hope is that the run production can turn it around in time for tomorrow against a Colorado team that most likely will have no trouble producing runs.

I have been optimistic before...however, I'm not quite so cheery in this series. It either could be a split, or a Colorado bloodbath. I'm praying for the former, but unfortunately, I'm expecting the latter, as down as the sounds.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Francisco Cordero (2-3) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.
Losing pitcher: Bob Howry (1-6) 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.

Giants standouts: Pablo Sandoval, 3-for-5, 2B (35). Nate Schierholtz, 2-for-5. Randy Winn, 3-for-5. Eli Whiteside, 2B (3).
Reds standouts: Chris Dickerson, 2-for-4. Laynce Nix, 3-for-4, HR (10). Drew Stubbs, HR (1).

Probable starters for Giants next game against Colorado: Sanchez (5-10) vs. Aaron Cook (10-5).
Probable starters for Reds next game against Atlanta: Owings (6-11) vs. Morton (2-6).

The PG Beat: Zito and the Giants bullpen deal in win, but offense still impotent

Man, it's times like this you wonder if Barry Zito ever regrets signing with San Francisco. His first two years, he was the poster child of overpaid pitchers in the Major Leagues. He was widely criticized for the massive contract he signed in 2007 and not living up to the hype, even though at his age and at that point in his career, it was really a lose-lose situation (And in my opinion, Aaron Harang has been a far worse overpaid pitcher than Zito in the last two years). If he wins the Cy Young, then well, he should be doing that because he's getting paid $126 million dollars. Anything less, and he's not earning his money and he's a bust.

Seriously, the guy has gotten so much grief (from me included, even though I'm not proud of it) that you just feel the guy has had enough. He isn't the one that offered that crazy contract, so all those baseball fans should be criticizing Sabean for that ludicrous amount and not Zito. Still though...people, some Giants fans included, have failed to get that memo and continue to bash Zito even though it is a ridiculously dumb argument.

And if things couldn't get any worse for Barry Zito, even when he pitches perhaps one of his best games of the year, not only does he get pulled out at the end of the sixth, but his team gives him zero run support. And literally, ZERO run support. They didn't score a freaking run off Bronson Arroyo until the eighth, freaking inning, two innings after Zito was forced to take off his batting helmet for Fred Lewis.

What do the Giants need to do to get some run support for Zito? Do they need to kill a live chicken before the game? Does Zito need to treat his lineup out on to dinner like Steve Young would for his offensive line after a big win? Does he need to pay for a prostitute for every player in the lineup that night whenever they are on a road trip?

This really is getting depressing for the guy. Zito has, in my mind, been our most consistent pitcher this second half. Yep, I said it. Not Lincecum, not Cain, certainly not Sanchez, but Zito. And yet, you would never know it because the guy can't get a decisison to save his life from his lineup.

Granted, it could have been worse. If anything, the Giants were in position to lose this game more than anything. No Panda in the lineup. No Sanchez either. Bengie and Eugenio go 0-for-8 combined (though Velez hit some pretty good balls), and Renteria is in the two spot (never a good sign ever). Yet the Giants caught a break when Reds first baseman Joey Votto had to leave the game due to blurred vision, so all we had to worry about was Brandon Phillips and Wladimir Balentein in the lineup.

The funny thing though about this 1-0 win over the Reds was that the Giants hitting wasn't all that bad, but they couldn't drive in any runs...again. I mean, this Giants offense is as potent as Hank Hill is with his narrow urethra. They get a lot of hits, but they just shoot blanks time and time again.

Look at the stat line for chrissake! 10 hits, five guys with multi-hit performances (Renteria, Schierholtz, Garko, Rowand and Uribe all had two hits) and still...one run. And not until the eighth inning either. Man, I don't know what the Giants have to do. I don't know if it's bad baserunning, or lack of execution with ducks on the pond or what, but seriously...you should have more runs than one when you get 10 hits in a ball game. It just doesn't statistically make sense.

Nevertheless, despite my never-ending frustration with this Giants offense, I am happy that at the very least, we took the series from the Reds in Cincy. The Giants needed this one. Colorado is on kill-pace against the Nationals and the G-men simply couldn't afford to drop another series to the Reds out of all teams. On another note, the bullpen really is looking great. They have absolutely dialed in on the mound in their past three performances. Wilson is looking really confident on the hill, and Romo is starting to look like his first-half self, rather than a second-half, Tyler Walker look-alike. Even though we have one game to go, and I want the Giants to go for the kill and get the sweep (and get win no. 13 for Cain. Jeez, has he waited long enough for it?), I am feeling really confident for Colorado. The Giants have a different kind of mojo going into Colorado now that they didn't have when they went into Colorado the first time or against Los Angeles last week (due to the fact they were coming off losing the previous series before each of those three-game sets against the Rockies and Dodgers).

I'm telling you, even though the offense has been inconsistent, and you really can't judge the Giants too concretely by this recent series alone (The Reds are simply awful), Colorado better be ready. I know they're riding high after beating us the last time around, but this will be a different Giants team that I think will be confident and rejuvenated the second time around.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Sergio Romo (4-2) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO.
Losing pitcher: Bronson Arroyo (11-12) 8 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO.

Giants standouts: Edgar Renteria, 2-for-4. Nate Schierholtz, 2-for-4, 2 2B (15). Ryan Garko, 2-for-4. Aaron Rowand, 2-for-4. Juan Uribe, 2-for-3, 2B (19).
Reds standouts: Daniel Stubbs, 2B (1). Great American Ballpark's empty seats.

Probable starters for next game: Cain (12-4) vs. Harang (6-14).

The PG Beat: Giants win with rare, uncharacteristic comeback, reverse jinx in action

What a freaking game! Just when you think you know this Giants team through and through, a weird, out-of-the-blue, what the hell kind of day like this comes along.

After the second inning of this game, I was ready to give up on the Giants and was prepared to put another one in the L column. Down 4-0 to the freaking Reds, Lincecum wasn't looking very good, we couldn't score runs as usual, and bad breaks were seeming to haunt the Giants once again. Even after Bochy got ejected in the second inning after arguing that foul ball hit by the Reds pitcher (which ended up being a hit and cost Lincecum and the Giants two runs), I was thinking "Why is he doing that? Is he just trying to hit the showers early to avoid watching another crushing lose to a lousy Reds team?"

However, something was different about this Giants team tonight. After Uribe's homer, I had this strange lingering feeling the Giants had something in the tank that was going to prevent this from getting out of hand like the Matt Cain game against Cincy in San Francisco. In many ways, it was the kind of game Giants fans were used to seeing, only flip-flopped. In the past month, it was us striking first blood early and then getting content and losing the lead because our offense kind of just went in the tank thinking the game was done. That was the case tonight for the Reds, not the Giants. It was the Giants, not the opponent, that slowly chipped away and tied the game in the sixth. It was the Giants coming through with opportunistic hits off of the opponents closer, and not the other team mashing Wilson when the game was on the line.

To be perfectly honest, this was one of the most satisfying wins for the Giants this year. It was very atypical of Giants wins we have seen this year as Giants fans. Usually, it is the pitching holding the team together in a close one, or the Giants simply out powering the opposing team from the get-go.

But a comeback win? When down four runs? When Lincecum is pitching poorly? You think the Giants would have deflated and this game would have ended 8-0 or 9-1 in favor of the Reds.

Yet, the Giants beat the Reds 8-5 in extras. I still can't believe it myself. It really doesn't make much sense if you've watched this team all season.

On another note, I've been experience a very uncanny occurrence lately. The last couple of articles I have written for Bleacher Report have really had a "reverse jinx" effect on the Giants. On Sunday night, I published an article about how the Giants need the struggling Winn or Rowand to start improving so the Giants would have some stability in Centerfield. On Monday, Winn and Rowand both rake with a combined seven hits in the Giants' 10-1 win over the Mets.

Today, I published an article about how Ryan Garko has been a Trade Deadline bust so far for the Giants. What does he do today? He goes 2-for-5 with four RBI, and hits a double that ends up driving in the winning runs in the top of the 10th against Reds closer and All-Star Francisco Cordero.

After the game, I got this tweet from the Bleacher Report-Giants profile:

"Hey can you write a story on Molina being a bust? Hehehe just playin' :)"

Seriously, I'm thinking about it. This is bordering on supernatural in my opinion. The only problem is that I don't know who to reverse jinx next. Molina was bound to have an off day after hitting so well as of late, so I'd feel wrong trying to reverse jinx him since he really doesn't need it (after all, he got two walks today! That's probably as many as he had in the past three weeks combined).

Ummm...how about Barry Zito?

Here it goes:

Barry Zito gets no run support ever. He should sue the Giants offense for every outing he has for the rest of the year. How the Giants hit a Cy Young winner in Johan Santana, but can't score a measley run off a former reliever who's on a 75 pitch count is absolutely atrocious.

The television show "The Contender" has been more successful with television audiences than the Giants offense has in terms of giving Zito run support this season. I don't know. I just think that Zito is cursed and won't ever get more than three runs of support in a game this season, and perhaps for the remainder of his career in San Francisco. If Barry ever wants to think about getting a .500 record this year, he better pray St. Louis is stupid and designates Albert Pujols for assignment, because this Giants offense sure as heck isn't going to give him a decent enough amount of runs in a game he pitches.

Let's see how that one works.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Bob Howry (1-5) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.
Losing pitcher: Francisco Cordero (1-3) 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.

Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-5. Randy Winn, 2-for-4, 2B (29). Ryan Garko, 2-for-5, 2B (1), 4 RBI. Juan Uribe, HR (6). Fred Lewis, 2B (19).
Reds standouts: Laynce Nix, 2B (24). Joey Votto, HR (18). The First-Base Umpire, 2 RBI.

Probable starters for next game: Zito (8-11) vs. Arroyo (11-11).

The PG Beat: Double Digits Day! Rowand and Winn make Bochy's decision harder, Giants batter Livan

It's funny. When I write an article about how Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn are struggling, and that one of them needs to step up in order to fill the centerfield position, both guys absolutely tear it up. Rowand goes 4-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBI. Winn goes 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.

Now, manager Bruce Bochy is put in a tough situation because now he's not choosing between two guys who are putting up pathetic numbers at the plate, but instead, he has to choose between two outfielders who seem to be on the cusp of a breakout. Sure, it's Livan Hernandez they were facing today. However, I was so impressed with Winn's and Rowand's at-bats that I just think they are more than capable of building upon these performances today. Who is primed for the bigger breakout? I don't know, but Bochy is going to have to make a tough call, and I guarantee you whatever decision he makes will upset some fans when it is all said and done.

Other than Rowand and Winn's performance, this really was just a great game for the Giants today. They had great approaches at the plate, and special kudos goes out to their pinch hitters. Schierholtz and Lewis both had big base knocks as pinch hitters, which further supports my point that the Giants have a glut in the outfield in a good way (similar to the dilemma Hugh Hefner and Playboy Magazine has when picking their Playmate of the Year. It's that good). I feel that with this latest performance, the Giants are going to be in good shape in the outfield, especially with Torres coming back off the DL. If somebody falters, Bochy will be able to replace them with ease, since Lewis, Torres and Schierholtz can easily replace Winn or Rowand should those two veterans prove today's game was a fluke rather than a encouraging sign.

Other than the hitting, Martinez pitched well in today's 10-1 victory over the Mets. Much like his win in Houston, Martinez didn't have room for much error. When he left the game, it was only a 3-1 game. A mistake here and there (and he didn't get much help as evidenced by Sandoval's two errors) and this could have been a different ball game. That being said, he kept the Mets in check all day and didn't make any big mistakes like Jonathan Sanchez did yesterday (though like I said, Sanchez still pitched great, but giving up a home run to Luis "What is a home run?" Castillo is unforgivable). Great to see Martinez get a win, especially in front of his friends and family since he is a New Jersey native.

Also, great performance by the bullpen. I know they were pitching with a big lead, but they came in and mowed down the Mets' lineup. Medders, Howry, Miller and Valdez all pitched very well and kept things from even getting slightly interesting after Martinez came out in the fifth. This was definitely a good bounce back performance for this bullpen, especially after the last time they relieved Martinez against the Dodgers and got absolutely rocked (i.e. Medders, who may as well change his title from "middle reliever" to "property of the Los Angeles Dodgers").

Did I want the Giants to get more than a split in New York against a Mets team that looks more like their Triple-A counterpart, the Buffalo Bisons? Yeah, but I'll take it. Today's win was big, and with Lincecum going on the hill tomorrow, I think the Giants made a good statement as they hit the road to avenge their embarrassing performance at home last week against the woeful Reds. All I can say is this: with a small ballpark and Lincecum on the hill, the Giants should do well during these next three days.

Like I said...SHOULD. I think Giants fans know what I'm implying.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Joe Martinez (3-1) 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO.
Losing pitcher: Livan Hernandez (7-8) 5.1 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.

Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-5, 3B (1). Freddy Sanchez, 2-for-4. Pablo Sandoval, 2B (34). Randy Winn, 3-for-5, 2B (28). Aaron Rowand, 4-for-5, HR (10). Edgar Renteria, 2-for-4. Nate Schierholtz, 2B (13).
Mets standouts: Corey Sullivan, 2-for-4. Daniel Murphy, 2-for-4, 2B (20).

Giants probable starters for next game against Cincinnati: Lincecum (12-3) vs. Bailey (2-4).
Mets probable starters for next game against Atlanta: Lowe (12-7) vs. Perez (2-3).

The PG Beat: Back from Vacation, Giants lose again to Buffalo Bisons (or your 2009 Mets)

Seriously. How did we lose this game? It wasn't as if I went into this thing expecting a victory of course. When you have Jonathan Sanchez on the hill, anything can happen. You can get a no-hitter, or a home run derby by the third inning. It all depends on how Sanchez's command is, and that is as easy to predict as the stock market back in the 1920's.

Yet when Sanchez deals today, only makes one mistake all day, and goes seven innings (seven innings!) well...you think we would win this one. Especially with no David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, or Carlos Delgado in the lineup, too, right?

Well, all I can say is I hope the Giants don't play the Sacramento Rivercats during this stretch, because the Giants basically lost to the New York Mets' Triple-A affiliate out there in today's 4-3 loss at Citi Field.

To put a silver lining on this game, kudos to Sanchez for pitching a great game today. To be honest, Sanchez has really earned his keep in this rotation after his no-hitter. He is a much better pitcher during this second-half, and even though he can be unpredictable, the promise he has showed since the no-hitter I think lessens the effect of losing Tim Alderson in the Freddy Sanchez trade. I mean, even when Randy Johnson retires next year, I look forward to a rotation of Lincecum, Cain, Zito, Sanchez and Martinez or perhaps even Bumgarner (if he tears it up in Spring Training next year). I think Sanchez is past the rut he had in the second half of last year, and the first half of this season, and I honestly believe, especially after today's outing that the future is bright for this kid.

That being said, Sanchez made a big mistake today: a two-run home run to freaking Luis "I can barely hit the ball out of the infield" Castillo, his first homer since late May of last year. I was about to smash my head into the television after that home run. Anybody but Castillo. Hell, I would've rather had Fernando "My career is still living on that two grand slams in one inning" Tatis hit that homer than Castillo.

Still, even with that mistake, you can't blame Sanchez in this one. The offense has just been awful since the Reds series. First the Reds, then the Dodgers, and now the Mets, who have owned us this year with a 5-2 overall record this year against us head-to-head. Maybe it's just a bad rut, but I thought we were past our rut after the 3-7 road trip out of the gate after the All-Star break. Apparently not though, and we look to be in another rut despite the deadline acquisitions of Ryan Garko and Freddy Sanchez. Sanchez is doing his part, but Garko...ehh...not so much. When you trade a guy who's hitting around the Mendoza Line for a prospect that is a borderline Top-100 minor league arm...well...let's just say you may have lost out on that trade.

The offense stunk today to be perfectly frank, and the only guys I can really tip my hat to in this one are Velez (who shrugged off an awful first couple of games in this series at the plate and went 2-for-3) and Winn, who had a very good at-bat and drove in Velez in the eighth to tie the game despite being pwned by Pelfrey for most of the game. Other than though, another goose egg of a game from the Giants "Triple-A" caliber offense.

Key stat of the game: Sandoval, F. Sanchez and Ishikawa went a combined 0-for-11 at the dish. It doesn't matter if you're playing a team that's more decimated out there than a Marine Sqaud in Vietnam. When you're three, four and six hitters do that poorly, you're going to lose.

I know I have to keep the faith in this Giants team during this stretch run. I know it is still August and in reality, the real games are played in September when the games really, REALLY count.

But damn it...these games are getting hard to stomach. You can only take so much excruciating pain. Watching the Giants offense is starting to feel more and more like getting a tattoo removed (i.e. REALLY FREAKING PAINFUL!)


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Francisco Rodriguez (3-4) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO.
Losing pitcher: Sergio Romo (3-2) 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.

Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-3, 2B (7). Fred Lewis, 2B (18). Randy Winn, 2B (27).
Mets standouts: Jeff Franceour, 2-for-4. Angel Pagan, 2B (8). Luis Castillo, HR (1).

Probable starters for next game: Martinez (2-1) vs. Hernandez (7-7).

The PG Beat: Reds take series, Cain handed second straight loss, Dodgers series much scarier now

Ooh boy. It's bad enough we have a crucial series with the rival Dodgers starting tomorrow. I mean, the Dodgers are slumping right now (they were swept at home by the Braves this week) and the Giants were in a prime position going into Friday to pad their NL Wild Card lead as well with the Rockies playing the Cubs, and the Giants taking on the Reds, a team that had been struggling mightily since the All-Star break.

Well...we didn't get swept, I guess. However, other than that though, this series pretty much was a disaster, compounded by the Giants losing 5-2 today to Aaron Harang, a pitcher that hadn't won a game since May. I really don't know what got into the Reds this weekend. I don't know how Wladimir Balentein started to not suck anymore. I don't know how Brandon Phillips looked like the stud he was two years ago when he first arrived to Cincinnati. I don't know how Dusty Baker out managed Bruce Bochy despite having sub. 300 OBP hitter in Willy Tavares batting leadoff.

A lot of things don't make sense. The Reds shouldn't have taken two out of three from a team that had the best home record in the Major Leagues going into the series on Friday. Yet, baseball hardly makes sense at times, and this was one of those moments, much to our chagrin as Giants fans.

Today, you couldn't blame anyone for the loss, maybe other than Matt Cain, which isn't easy to do because I love the guy. The Reds came in, took care of business, and had a big inning in the fourth, compounded by a two-run homer by Andrew Rosales (Yes, I still don't know who that is). Let's face it Giants fans. As a fan, I'm worried about Cain. I know the guy is going to have a bad start every now and then, but two straight? Against two mediocre teams? That definitely leaves me worried. Now, I'm not saying Cain is going to fall off the wagon completely, but I'm definitely worried that he may be out of gas, not to mention luck, from the marvelous All-Star first half he had this year.

A lot of tough moments to stomach overall during this game. The "Panda" was in prime opportunity to really hammer in big innings and he hit into double plays...twice. That's not what Sandoval does in big spots like that. However, instead of the usual-clutch self, he looked more like Bengie Molina, unable to come up with the big hits the Giants needed in big spots. I think he'll be able to rebound from this game in time for the Dodgers series (which starts tomorrow...so he better rebound quickly), but it was just a disappointing development that we usually don't see from the "Panda," especially at AT&T Park.

Were there any bright spots in this series? Yes. We didn't get swept (as I mentioned before) and Eugenio Velez continues to earn his spot as our new leadoff hitter. Seriously, this guy is good. I could harp and harp on this kid until my face turns blue, and I still wouldn't be finished singing his praises. This is exactly the guy I thought we would get a year ago when he was tearing it up in Spring Training. He's just such a spark plug out there, and he's an infinitely better upgrade than Randy Winn or Fred Lewis in centerfield. Once Nate Schierholtz comes back, I am looking forward to an outfield that consists of Velez in left, Rowand in center and Schierholtz in right. That in my mind, will give the Giants the best shot to win down the stretch.

Oh well...we had a chance to really capitalize and we didn't. It doesn't matter though. All what matters is this Dodgers series starting tomorrow. If we sweep the Dodgers, it won't matter what happened in the Reds series this weekend. All will be forgiven in my mind. Nothing would beat a Dodgers sweep, or at the very least, a series win over the bums from Chavez Ravine.

Come on Giants. Let's beat LA!

(I don't sound too desperate now, do I?)


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Aaron Harang (6-13) 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO.
Losing pitcher: Matt Cain (12-4) 7 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO.

Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-4, 2B (5). Fred Lewis, 2B (16). Freddy Sanchez, 2-for-4.
Reds standouts: Brandon Phillips, HR (17). Wladimir Balentein, 2-for-3. Andrew Rosales, 3-for-4, HR (4).

Giants probable starters for next game against Los Angeles: Kuroda (4-5) vs. Sanchez (5-9).
Reds probable starters for next game against St. Louis: Cueto (8-9) vs. Lohse (4-7).

The PG Beat: Giants recover from Friday's humiliation, Molina breaks out, Velez still hot

The good news after today? At least we aren't going to get swept by the Reds. Believe me, after Friday's loss that heinous thought certainly crossed my mind. Those kind of losses like the won we had on Friday at AT&T can certainly stick with a team simply because they are so devastating. The Giants had the game won, were on the verge of getting another leg up on the Dodgers before their crucial series on Monday, and everything fell off the wagon just like that. Watching that game was like watching a friend who had been through AA and sober for four years, only to go on a drunk rampage one night out of the blue. It simply was unfathomable because while Friday's performance may have been characteristic of the Giants perhaps the last couple of years, it certainly was the story of this year's Giants squad.

Saturday though, the Giants really made up for it by garnering the 4-2 win over Cincinnati and pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Believe me, this one wasn't very pretty or didn't come easily either. Alex Gonzalez, Brandon Phillips and Wladimir Balentein continue to befuddle the Giants at the plate and in the field, and Pablo Sandoval went 0-for-4 (even though he hit the ball hard on occasion). Those are recipes for disaster, right? Well, not if Bengie Molina, who's been ripped all year for being in the cleanup spot despite his lousy OBP and sub par power number, goes 3-for-4 with a double, home run and three of the Giants' four RBI. And it also helps if Eugenio Velez continues his hot streak and adds a home run for the second straight game.

Seriously, this whole Eugenio Velez really is tough for the Giants organization, just because the Giants will have to make a very gutsy decision when it comes to the future of one of their outfielders. Velez has no place in the infield, simply because Freddy Sanchez is the mainstay at second, and Juan Uribe is most likely going to be the guy rotating with Edgar Renteria at the shortstop position. So, if Velez continue to hit well, and the Giants find a need to keep him in the lineup, that means when Nate Schierholtz comes back from injury either Winn or Lewis is going to get seriously bounced from playing time. The worst part of this is that you have the feeling it's going to be Lewis, even though lately Fred has been hitting much better than Winn at the plate. Lewis isn't as good a defender as Winn, but Winn has a duck arm in the outfield too. Either way, it'll be interesting with this crowded outfield of Lewis, Winn, Rowand, Velez, Torres, and Schierholtz on the roster, all guys who certainly deserve playing time for one reason or the other.

Lastly, another great outing from Zito. This guy really has had an underrated year on the mound. He is really having a lot of quality outings and he's keeping the Giants in a lot of games, something we necessarily couldn't say about him the last couple of years. That being said, the one thing I don't like is the fact that Bochy has little faith in him in comparison to Lincecum and Cain. Look, I know Zito has been struggling the past couple of years, but he has been pitching good to a point where I think he deserves to keep the ball even if he's in a situation that may lead to trouble. I think Zito has developed as a pitcher in San Francisco where he can get out of those jams, and should get the opportunity to do so as well, even if it would be more convenient to go to the bullpen.

By the way, sorry I did not get to this until today. I was gone all day Saturday, and even though I listened to the game on KNBR, I did not have the energy or the concentration to write the PG Beat last night. I'll have today's PP and PG Beat up today though.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Barry Zito (8-10) 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO.
Losing pitcher: Bronson Arroyo (10-11) 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO.

Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-4, HR (3). Bengie Molina, 3-for-4, 2B (21), HR (13). Fred Lewis, 2-for-3.
Reds standouts: Brandon Phillips, 2B (19). Wladimir Balentein, 2-for-3, 2B (1).

Probable starters for next game: Harang (5-13) vs. Cain (12-3).

The PG Beat: Bullpen, defense collapse; Giants give gift to the Reds.

Joey Votto (right) scores as Bengie Molina looks for an errant throw by Pablo Sandoval. At this point, it goes without saying that Giants' chances of winning this game were lost.

The Giants were better statistically in so many ways tonight than the Reds. They hit more home runs (two to Cincinnati's zero), had more hits (12 to Cincinnati's 9) and Tim Lincecum threw more strikeouts than the Reds' Homer Baily (seven to two).

Yet when it came to two categories that really mattered, the Reds clearly outmatched them: errors and the final score.

It's tough to describe how agonizing that game was tonight. In no way, shape, or form did the Reds deserve to win that game. We outhit them, and even though Lincecum didn't have his best stuff tonight, he certainly was better on the hill than Bailey. Yet two things that have been our strong points this year (defense and the bullpen) totally laid ducks tonight. I mean, five errors! Are you freaking kidding me? What an absolute joke. I seriously wish now Travis Ishikawa could solve whatever hitting funk he is in, mainly because Garko is a sub par glove at first base to put it kindly. Furthermore, Renteria is becoming more and more exposed without Ishikawa bailing him out on his consistently errant throws. Seriously, whatever you have to do to hit the ball Ishi, do it! We need your freaking glove out there!

Now, I normally don't like to blame Bochy or the managers for losses, but I'm seriously angry over this blunder: why the hell do you take out Jeremey Affeldt for Sergio Romo? Why are managers so enamored with this righty-lefty thing? And seriously, why did Bochy pull the trigger on Affeldt so fast? He only faced one freaking batter, and do you seriously think Romo is going to shut the door on the four-six holes any better than Affeldt? Man, I just can't understand Bochy's reasoning. I understand Affeldt's control is off, I understand he walked the leadoff hitter, and I understand most of the lineup was right-handed, but why would you put in Affeldt to just face one batter? He's your best reliever Bochy! Come on. Even the bleacher bums in left field knew that decision was idiotic.

To look at this positively, all I can say is the Giants offense looks great. Sans a dumb baserunning error by Fred Lewis, I really thought the Giants lineup came to play today at the plate. They had a lot of good at-bats, Eugenio Velez continues to be a great leadoff guy, and Pablo continues to be Pablo at the dish. Basically, these kind of games are going to happen. You're best pitcher isn't going to have his best stuff, the defense is going to fail you every now and then, your bullpen is going to self-destruct. It happens. The good thing? The offense doesn't seem to be letting up, and I think that bodes well into tomorrow. Sure, this loss was soul-crushing, but the Reds and the Giants knew that Baker's boys got really damn lucky in this game. They know they will be hardpressed to pull off another victory like this.

Even though a sweep would have been nice, we still can take this series. I was not impressed at all with the Reds. They got out-of-the butt performances from an over-the-hill, "How is he still playing" Alex Gonzalez, and a "Seriously he sucks, because I saw him suck on a daily basis in Seattle" Wladimir Balentein, both guys hitting under .200 going into the game. Votto did relatively nothing at the dish, and Phillips had some good hits, but got some lucky sprays as well. This was just a bad-break game. It happens, you move on, as hard as it is.

As long as the offense continues its ways, I think we will be fine and this game should not drive San Francisco fans into panic mode. We did what we could offensively tonight, only we didn't do the other things to win. Hopefully the boys understand that, and are able to put a complete game together on both offense and defense, and not just at the plate tomorrow and Sunday.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Dave Weathers (3-3) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.
Losing pitcher: Brian Wilson (3-5) 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO.

Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-5, HR (2). Pablo Sandoval, 2-for-4. Bengie Molina, HR (12). Fred Lewis, 2B (15).
Reds standouts: Alex Gonzalez, 2-for-4. Brandon Phillips, 2-for-4, 2B (18). Scott Rolen, 2B (1). Wladimir Balentien, 2-for-3.

Probable starters for next game: Arroyo (10-10) vs. Zito (7-10).

The PG Beat: Whiteside unleashes the fury, Martinez wins first start, Sandoval batting crown?

Eli Whiteside (left) and Joe Martinez were unlikely heroes in the Giants' 10-6 win over the Astros. Whiteside hit a grand slam, and Martinez earned the win.

For the first time since September of last year, the Giants came back and won a game when facing a three-run deficit. I don't know if that's a sign of offensive ineptitude this season, our hard luck when playing behind, or just how weird this year has been. Whatever conclusion you want to come to, I'm happy that this streak was finally broken, and I'm even happier with the team that is hitting the field everyday this past week.

As most of you know, I wrote a post this afternoon on why I think Sanchez is going to put us into the playoffs. Then again though, while Sanchez is the catalyst, there just seems something special brewing with this team. When Eli Whiteside hits a grand slam in the top of the sixth inning in a 10-6 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park, then you know there might be some chips falling the Giants' way. Listen, I know we had a good June, but I have a feeling August could be even better. We finally have stability at second base, and this team as a whole seems to exhibit a rare kind of confidence since the Sanchez trade. They're loose, they're having fun again and they expect to win, which is something I don't think we really had in June (I think we were more pumped to win, but we didn't expect to).

Case in point, the Giants are down 3-0 in the second inning, and the first thought that crosses my mind is "Oh crap, this is where the Giants unravel and they get killed 8-1." However, Martinez pitches great for the next three innings, holding down the fort, and the lineup doesn't go into a shell, but instead explodes and puts this game out of reach for the Astros by the seventh inning. I think Bip Roberts in the post-game commentary said the Giants totaled 40 hits this series. 40 hits! In three freaking games! I don't think we totaled 40 hits in the 10-game road trip we had to start off the second half of the season.

Speaking of Martinez, what a great outing from the kid. In my mind, his start today shows why he is an upgrade over Ryan Sadowski. If that was Sadowski on the hill in the second inning, he would have unraveled in the third, game would have been seven to zip, and the Giants wouldn't have had the mojo to come back. I think the score could be misleading because I think some fans who didn't see the game might say, "Well, Martinez had a big lead. Big woop." However, Martinez never pitched with a lead. In fact, he pitched with the team behind the whole game (the Giants took the lead in the top of the sixth, and he was taken out after the fifth, but because they scored those runs in the top of the sixth, Martinez still got the win). What Martinez did was keep the Giants in the game after the second inning despite the lack of run support (as always) initially. He kept it close, to allow the Giants chip away by each inning before they had the huge outburst. That speaks volumes to how tough a kid Martinez is. Never mind he is already tough for taking that line drive in the head and coming back to pitch on the mound with no fear. This guy is also a gamer on the mound, and should be a solid mainstay in the five-spot until The Big Unit comes back in September.

While the game had an onslaught from a variety of players, the main guy everyone kept an eye on was no other than Pablo Sandoval. After today, Sandoval's average rose to .334, which puts him less than 10 points behind the current Batting Average leader Hanley Ramirez. Now, I don't know if he can pull off the batting crown, but with Sanchez in the lineup, and with Sandoval seeing and swinging at the ball as well as he currently is, it certainly is possible. If everybody thought the whole "Vote for Pablo" All-Star campaign was big, then I can't imagine what the support would be like if he and Ramirez are neck and neck in the last couple of weeks in the season. That would be a flat-out unbelievable feat for Sandoval if he pulls it off: NL Batting Crown at 22 years old. Wow. I get shivers just thinking about it.

Some good signs for Giants fans with the way this team is playing after their ten-game road trip disaster to start off the second half. They took two games in Houston, which didn't look so likely after Cain lost game one of the series. They also not only remain in the thick of it in the Wild Card, but they are keeping within striking distance of the Dodgers.

I know, I should give up hope in catching the Dodgers, but with them coming into town next week, I still believe we can catch them. If things go well Aug. 10-12, the NL West may be one of the most interesting stories in baseball.

Why? Let's just say "1951" will be a heavily-referenced year if the Giants are able to catch the Dodgers.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Joe Martinez (2-0) 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO.
Losing pitcher: Brian Moehler (7-7) 6 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO.

Giants standouts: Freddy Sanchez, 3-for-5. Pablo Sandoval, 3-for-4, 2B (32). Ryan Garko, 2-for-4, 3B (1). Aaron Rowand, 2B (28). John Bowker, 3B (1). Eli Whiteside, GS (1).
Astros standouts: Hunter Pence, 2-for-5, HR (14). Carlos Lee, 2-for-5, 2 2B (23). Jason Michaels, 2B (9).

Giants probable starters for Friday's game against Cincinnatti: Bailey (2-3) vs. Lincecum (12-3).
Astros probable starters for Friday's game against Milwaukee: Villanueva (2-8) vs. Rodriguez (10-6).

The PG Beat: 8 Runs, 16 Hits, and No...Matt Morris was not pitching for the Giants

The new Dynamic Duo in the Bay Area: Freddy Sanchez and Pablo Sandoval. Get used to this image a lot the next year-and-a-half in San Francisco.

In some ways, I tried to reverse jinx the Giants today in my Potent Preview. I tried to downplay today's game, tried to downplay how Paulino was pitching and how the team might get swept by a Houston Astros team sans Lance Berkman.

Well...guess what? It kind of worked! The Giants killed the Astros 8-1 in the second game of this series and, in the words of Harry from Dumb and Dumber, "Totally reedemed themselves!"

Seriously, I have forgotten all about the pain of yesterday's agonizing loss. The offense did what they were supposed to do against a lousy pitcher like Felipe Paulino: they worked the count, they looked for pitches to hit and they cashed in with runners on base. Furthermore, Jonathan Sanchez learned how to pitch with runners in scoring position, and looks like he could be a major factor in the Giants' rotation during this stretch run in August and September. And the Freddy Sanchez-Pablo Sandoval back to back home runs? Let's just say I felt like I did when I was reaching puberty and I saw Carmen Electra in a red dress in the movie "Good Burger" (I actually Tweeted this after the game).

Overall, this is the kind of offensive showing that exhibits what the Giants are capable of. Sure, on paper they don't look great, but any time they can get Bengie Molina and Sandoval going, this offense is certainly dangerous. I think the one player that can really push this team over the top is Freddy Sanchez. He really is swinging a good bat since coming over to San Francisco. He is hitting everything hard, and he could have easily gone three-for-four instead of just one-for-four today (though his one-for-four day certainly spoke volumes as he crushed that home run). I think the Sanchez trade in the end will not only be worth it (even though I liked Tim Alderson) because of what he will be able to do this year, but next season as well. Sure, Sanchez isn't exactly young, but he's not some old geezer either. He's only 31. I think he could have a very big impact next year, and his impact can be even greater once his knee gets fully healthy (though he's not showing much slowdown so far this year, but the knee will always be an issue for the rest of the season).

Another great development that Giants fans need to take quick note of is Eugenio Velez at the plate. This guy is just tearing it up. Seriously, once Schierholtz comes back healthy, the Giants are going to have serious issues...not in terms of what they are going to do with Velez, but rather in terms of what they are going to do with Randy Winn. In my mind, Winn is the weak part of this team right now. Velez is hitting the ball better than him, Velez has better speed and Velez is getting on base more (and he's been our best leadoff option in quite some time). The only advantage Winn has over Velez is defense, but as Velez gets more comfortable playing outfield, I think that advantage will be less noticeable. Then again, with Rowand and Schierholtz in the outfield, how good do we need Velez to be? It's not like he's Adam Dunn or Carlos Lee out there. He can cover decent ground.

Just a great overall effort from the Giants tonight. Both Sanchezes look great. Jonathan is earning his keep in the rotation not only this year, but next year as well (even though we lost the opportunity to see him go hit less for an entire season. Now that would have been a record: the first National League pitcher to throw a no-hitter, and get no-hit for an entire season). As for Freddy? He looks like he can be a Giants fan favorite in the future. Granted, we still can lose this series, but we avoided the sweep at the very least and we're going against a very vulnerable pitcher in Brian Moehler tomorrow (by the way, how the hell is he still in the league? I remember pitching with him when he was on the Tigers in MLB '99 on the Playstation).

Then again, we went against a vulnerable pitcher in Mike Hampton a night ago, and during that game we had a solid pitcher in Matt Cain pitching, not a rookie in Joe Martinez who is coming off the 60-day DL, and is making his first career start.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Jonathan Sanchez (5-9) 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO.
Losing pitcher: Felipe Paulino (2-6) 4.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO.

Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 3-for-6, 2B (4). Freddy Sanchez, HR (7). Pablo Sandoval, 2-for-3, HR (17). Bengie Molina, 3-for-5, 2B (20). Randy Winn, 2-for-4. Aaron Rowand, 2-for-5, 2B (27).
Astros standouts: Jeff Keppinger, 2-for-4. Carlos Lee, 2B (21).

Probable starters for next game: Martinez (first start) vs. Moehler (7-6).

The PG Beat: Hampton pulls out more times against the Giants offense than a frat boy having sex and not wearing a condom

Kaz Matsui, the biggest ESPN the Magazine "Next" athlete bust not named Darko Milicic, killed the Giants with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth.

Does the headline make sense? Probably not. But I don't care. This loss doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Let me run down the list of "Why" questions I asked myself after this game was over.

• Why did Tim Flannery send Edgar Renteria home when it was obvious it was a hard hit ball and Hunter Pence has a cannon?
• Why do we strike out looking three times when we had a chance to break the game wide open in the top of the sixth?
• Why did fans automatically think this was an automatic win going into this game?
• Why does Bengie Molina still bat cleanup when every statistic he has offensively is pathetic?
• Why can't Pablo Sandoval work the count more so instead of just getting singles, he can wait for his pitch and hit with more power?
• Why does Randy Winn still play right field when he has a worse arm out there than Sandoval throwing left-handed?
• Why did those home runs have to go out?
• Why does Eric from Entourage have to continue to go out with this Ashley girl, and why do I get the feeling that the writers are way overblowing this whole Jamie Lynn Sigler-Turtle relationship?
  
• Why did Matt Cain not stomp his hitters' faces in?

Okay, the last two were out of line. I can't get Entourage out of my mind, and the last one I got from Full Metal Jacket. Nonetheless, the rest of those questions are legitimate. The Giants had so much momentum going into this series and they simply laid an egg, plain and simple. It was really just a frustrating game. Everything was set up for the Giants to win this one. They were hitting Hampton, Cain was taking care of business and then...the wheels fell off. After the sixth when we got nothing with the bases loaded, I just knew we were going to lose this game. You don't get opportunities like that in a game more than once. If you don't take advantage of them, chances are, you squandered that only opportunity to do something real damaging to the opposing team.

The lesson learned from this victory? Two actually. One, never come in too cocky into a series with a team that seems to be nearly broken. You come in and take care of business, no gloating needed going in. Fans were gloating and after the Phillies series win, I'm sure the Giants were like "Hey, we're going to steamroll these guys." The good teams take care of business and do it without doubt. That's why the Red Sox own the Orioles and are a great team, while the Giants lose to an Astros team minus-Oswalt and Berkman and aren't one. Until they learn to have that killer edge all the time, this team will never been better than what the stats show: a good pitching team that can occasionally muster up a run and a win here and there.

Sorry, I hate to be pessimistic, but this loss was agonizing for me. I really thought after the first inning we had the right approach in place, but unfortunately, hitting coach Carney Lansford's old "Swing at everything and look at the good pitches with two strikes" approach is really wearing me thin. It's not like I don't expect this. I prepare myself for these kind of offensive outings all the time.

Still, no matter how much I try to psyche myself out for them, they hit hard nonetheless. To quote somebody off of McCovey Chronicles, this statement is pretty accurate in terms of describing this loss:

"That game was like being fed a cake made out of babies, pointing out that you object to baby consumption and then being shot in the balls by the enraged cook." -Alex_Lewis.

Well said Alex. Well said.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Mike Hampton (6-8) 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO.
Losing pitcher: Matt Cain (12-3) 8 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO.

Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-5. Pablo Sandoval, 3-for-5, 2B (31). Ryan Garko, 2-for-2. Edgar Renteria, 2-for-4, 2B (16).
Astros standouts: Michael Bourn, 2-for-4, 3B (9). Kaz Matsui, HR (5). Geoff Blum, HR (6). Carlos Lee, 3-for-4, 2B (20). Hunter Pence, 3B (5).

Probable starters for next game: Sanchez (4-9) vs. Paulino (2-5).

The PG Beat: F. Sanchez shines in Giants debut, Zito gets win, strange thought on Hamels

New Giants second baseman, Freddy Sanchez, helped Giants fans forget all about Tim Alderson with a 2-for-4, 2 RBI performance in the Giants' 7-3 win over Philly.

Oh yeah! What a win! Way to take three of four from the Phillies! In your face, Philadelphia! In your freaking, Cheesteak-eating, Donovan McNabb-hating face!

Whoa...sorry about that. I'm just a little pumped from that victory. I mean, going into this game, as I mentioned in the preview, I was ready for the worst. Zito on the hill. Phillies coming off an embarrassing offensive performance. Hamels pitching for the Phillies, who is very similar to Cliff Lee, who in turn dominated the Giants on Friday night. As a Giants fan, there just wasn't a lot to look forward to on Sunday afternoon. Furthermore, when the lead was 3-1 in the fifth, all I could say to myself as we went into the bottom of the fifth was "Well...at least we split the series."

And then in the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs, Zito gets a base hit and the Giants roll from there. Velez hits a bloop single. New Giant Freddy Sanchez crushes a bases clearing double that ties the game. Sandoval hits a weird infield single that forces Howard to commit an error which scores Sanchez from second. It was absolutely beautiful to behold as a Giants baseball fan. It was the kind of breaks the Giants don't get very often, Zito especially, who seems to be more snake-bit this year in his outings than Thomas Jane and his acting career (In case you haven't read my Tweets, I don't like Hung).

Speaking of Zito, I may go out on a limb here, but I think this was one of his best pitching performances of the year stuff-wise. I mean, his pitches looked great. His fastball was hitting 90, something people thought would be unreachable for Zito a couple of years ago when he was barely topping 85. His curve seemed to resemble his curve of old (e.g. nasty) and he just had great command in general. Other than the Rollins home run, he was just great with his pitching approach and pitch location, and I think this start could bode well for Zito during these last couple months. Anybody who is worried with Johnson injured that we don't have much pitching depth behind Lincecum and Cain can forget about that statement. With Zito doing as well as he is, starting pitching is the least of the Giants' worries, even with there being no No. 5 starter in place with Sadowski getting demoted on Saturday.

After watching the game, I also came to a strange conclusion. Is it just me, or does Cole Hamels seem to be like a young Barry Zito, just with a better fastball? I mean, it's not that much better (it's only like 93, 3 more MPH than what Zito was throwing today) but it's still a livelier fastball nonetheless. Other than that though, the similarities between the two are just very uncanny. They have the same kind of pitching motion, have the same kind of approaches and except for the way they wear their pants, look almost identical on the hill. Maybe I'm just full of it, but I couldn't get that out of my head all day: "Why does Cole Hamels look so much like Barry Zito?"

Anyways, one big shot out goes to Freddy Sanchez, the newest Giant who made a sparkling debut as the Giants second baseman. I'm sorry, but after his 2-for-4 performance that included his 2 RBI double that changed the game in the fifth, I forgot all about who we traded away. Yeah, we may have lost a great pitcher in Tim Alderson, but Sanchez showed today that he is ready to play, and is ready to contribute to this Giants playoff effort. We saw it last year when Jason Bay went Boston and he helped spark their playoff run. For some reason, I have a feeling Sanchez is going to bring the same kind of spark to this Giants team. He's hungry, he gives the Giants what they need (stability at second base) and he was tailor-made to play baseball at AT&T Park. I don't know the exact average, but according to Comcast Sportsnet during the broadcast, going into the game, his average was somewhere around .360 at AT&T Park. We saw why it was so high today.

Really, I just can't explain how awesome this series and homestand was. We swept the Pirates and took three out of four from the defending World Series champs (not to mention shut down one of the most potent offenses in baseball today over a four game stretch). If Giants fans were worried after that ten game road trip to start off the second half, I think they should put those fears behind them. After this series, I think this Giants team has recovered the mojo they had in June.

And that can only bode good things as we enter the August swing.


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Barry Zito (7-10) 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO.
Losing pitcher: Cole Hamels (7-6) 5 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO.

Giants standouts: Freddy Sanchez, 2B (29), 2 RBI. Eugenio Velez, 2-for-5, 2 RBI. Aaron Rowand, 2-for-4, 3B (2). Edgar Renteria, 2B (15).
Phillies standouts: Jimmy Rollins, 2-for-4, HR (11). Ben Francisco, 2-for-4. Eric Bruntlett, 2B (6).

Probable starters for Giants next game against Houston: Cain (12-2) vs. Hampton (6-8).
Probable starters for Phillies next game against Colorado: Hammel (5-6) vs. Moyer (10-7).

The PG Beat: Lincecum deals another gem, Giants offense does just enough to win (as always)

While this game didn't come as easy as the Pirates win, Lincecum had an incredible performance against the defending World Series-champion Phillies.

Seriously, when you watch it live, it's really incredible how good a Tim Lincecum start is. He makes guys look foolish up there. Biggest example? Ryan Howard. I don't think Howard ever had a good at-bat today in the Giants' 2-0 win on Saturday evening. He swung through changeups and was blown away by fastballs. There wasn't a single pitch the All-Star* (I asterisk him because he certainly didn't deserve to be an All-Star this year) first baseman could hit off the Freak. Sure he got a hit, but that was a measly infield single where Eugenio Velez took too much time with the ball and underestimated Howard's speed. Just look at Howard's other stat that is more telling his performance today: strikeouts. He had two in four at-bats. I think that says enough.

Overall, this was a rather quick, but entertaining game. It was nice to see a second game this week at AT&T Park, and it was a lot better paced than the long Zito start against Pittsburgh. That being said, this wasn't exactly the greatest of Giants wins. The Giants basically won this game on the bases, as strange as that sounds considering they didn't have a stolen base and got caught stealing on a failed hit-and-run. You would think they nearly gave it away on the bases, right? Not vice versa.

Not exactly. Some great tagging up, and some risky moves at third ended up paying off in the Giants' win. Key moment of the game? Matt Stairs basket catching a Juan Uribe shallow pop-up which scored Aaron Rowand from third in the fifth. Now, if Stairs catches this fly ball like he should, or if Utley calls him off, no way Rowand scores. But because Stairs caught it awkwardly, third base coach Tim Flannery decided to take a chance Stairs couldn't make a good throw because of the awkward catch, and misfired on his throw home and Rowand scored to make it 1-0, which is all the Giants needed until the seventh where Travis Ishikawa scored on another Uribe sac fly (only this one was deep enough from the start).

(Just to add onto that, what a ballsy call on sending Rowand home by the way. I think 95 times out of 100, a third base coach would hold the guy at third. Instead, knowing the team needed momentum, Flannery let's Rowand go for it. This may be the most underrated coaching decision of the year for the Giants).

Say what you want about baseball, but it's the little things that win it for you, and tonight showed exactly that. Blanton and Lincecum went toe to toe with each other and each had their rough parts in certain innings, but in the end, they both had great performances they couldn't shake their heads about. The only difference? The Giants got the little things done in clutch situations and the Phillies didn't. Bottom line. Bases loaded jam with Ibanez up and the Phillies can't come through. Ishikawa and Rowand on third with one out? Uribe comes through, even though they are only sac flies. Just goes to show you how crucial the details and little things are in baseball.

Back to Lincecum, what a great start. I know Dan Haren for the Diamondbacks has better stats and ERA, but in my mind, Lincecum is the Cy Young winner if he keeps this up. He's defending the award better than any pitcher I have seen in the past decade. He is the catalyst for this team, and is absolutely dominant. Haren is good, but is he dominant like Lincecum? Does he strike fear into every batter that goes up to the plate? I don't think so. If anything Haren is closer to Matt Cain than Lincecum in terms of dominance. He's good, but he doesn't change and command a game like Lincecum. Lincecum's performance alone can help inspire his team a win, while with Haren, he's only going to look good statistically and little else. The team doesn't really respond to Haren like the Giants do to Lincecum when it's a close game.

Tomorrow will definitely be an interesting matchup as Cole Hamels goes against Barry Zito on the mound. Two lefties that have very similar stuff and approaches: big curve balls, not awesome fastballs, but get the job done-kind of pitchers. The pessimistic side of me wants to give this one to the Phillies, but for some reason, I just feel like the offense is due. Never mind the stats, this Giants team hit the ball hard today against a pitcher in Blanton who was doing very good in his last five outings. That isn't chicken scratch. Not a lot of teams were doing diddly against Blanton at the dish as of late, and the Giants were able to do at least something today: give him an L in his record.

Thus, the optimistic side of me thinks that the Giants may be due. Of course, this side has been wrong more often than not, but hey, I can still try, right?


Postgame box notes:

Winning pitcher: Tim Lincecum (12-3) 8 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 8 SO.
Losing pitcher: Joe Blanton (7-5) 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 SO.

Giants standouts: Travis Ishikawa, 2-for-4. Fred Lewis, 2-for-3. Aaron Rowand, 2B (26). Juan Uribe, 2 sac fly-RBI.
Phillies standouts: Jayson Werth, 2-for-3.

Probable starters for next game: Hamels (7-5) vs. Zito (6-10).

The PG Beat: Cliff Lee owns Giants, Affeldt and company self-destruct in the seventh inning

New Philadelphia pitcher Cliff Lee not only killed the Giants on Friday night with his pitching (9 IP, 1 run allowed), but also with his hitting (2-for-4, including a double).

Well...can't say I didn't see this one coming, even if I didn't want to admit it. Cliff Lee made his debut for the Phillies, and he couldn't have done much better as he mowed down the Giants hitters in a 5-1 victory on Friday night. Lee made every Giants hitter tonight look silly, even the Panda, who went o-for-4 against the reigning American League Cy Young award winner.

The Giants are exactly the kind of team that plays into Lee's strengths as a pitcher, and it was on full display tonight. Lee did what he always did (have great command, and mix it up with heat and breaking ball pitches, even though his stuff isn't great), and the Giants hitters did what they always did (overly aggressive, swinging at too many pitches out of the zone). It really was a rough game to watch if you're a Giants fan, and I'm sure a lot of people are fuming as Ryan Garko has only gotten one hit in his first three games as first baseman for the Giants. However, it was only one game for the Giants and this is only three games from Garko. In all honesty, I expected a loss in this game out of all the games in the series (Lee going against Sadowski just didn't look good on paper), and I think we need a couple of weeks to evaluate how good Garko is going to be. I think by next week, he should be getting into a comfort zone as a hitter. If he isn't? Well...then we're in some trouble, but we'll worry about that if that happens and when we get there.

The one thing I will say is that while I ripped him apart last week, you can't blame this loss on Sadowski (even though he did get the loss). Sadowski, who again for a third straight start, suffered from control issues throughout the nights, tallied a high pitch count early in the game (he was around 60 pitches at the end of the third inning and threw 82 pitches in four innings of work) and just didn't seem have that much confidence on the mound. However, he only gave up one run, a homer to Jason Werth in the second, and kept the Giants in the game as they continued to swing and miss against Lee's breaking balls. I am curious to know why Bochy pulled Sadowski so early. After pitching the fourth, the camera showed him wincing and holding his arm as he walked to the dugout. I haven't checked anything yet, but I have a feeling he strained something. Even though he wasn't pitching great, he merited at least another inning of work, especially with the game only 1-0. It's definitely something to pay attention to when carousing on Extra Baggs later tonight.

Surprisingly, if you want to blame anyone other than the offense and Lee, you can blame the bullpen. Don't look to the usual suspects to blame in this one though. Relievers who have been struggling as of late, Sergio Romo, Bob Howry and Merkin Valdez, actually looked very good tonight. It was the usual late-inning studs who struggled mightily instead. Jeremy Affeldt and Brandon Medders, two pitchers who had been looking very good in relief this year for the Giants simply imploded as they combined to allow three walks and three runs combined in only 1/3 innings of work...combined. That is a tough one to stomach, and after the game got to 4-0, I kind of just threw in the towel. Granted, these things tend to happen to relievers. They aren't perfect, and they're going to have their breakdowns every now and then. That's when you need your offense to step up and make up the difference. Unfortunately, that didn't happen tonight and in all honesty, the Giants offense hasn't picked up the pitching when it struggles since Opening Day. This Giants team goes how the pitching goes and that doesn't bode well I believe for Giants fans as we enter these last two months of the season. We just can't rely on pitching the whole time. We need the offense to set the tone sometimes, and unfortunately, that hasn't happened very often this year, especially against good teams like the Phillies.

That being said, I knew we weren't going to sweep the Phillies in this series, and this loss was definitely a predictable one, as tough as that is to say as a Giants fan. With Lincecum on the hill (going to the game tomorrow! Yahoo!) going against Joe Blanton, a pitcher who plays more to our strengths than Lee, I like our chances. If we can take at least two in this series, I can live with myself. If we can take three and win this series, I'll be ecstatic.

Tomorrow is the key to which direction this series will sway. For it to go in the Giant favor, Lincecum needs to have a good performance, and the offense needs to bounce back from tonight's lackluster effort.


Postgame Box notes:

Winning pitcher: Cliff Lee (1-0) 9 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO.
Losing pitcher: Ryan Sadowski (2-4) 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO.

Giants standouts: Juan Uribe, 2B (18). Aaron Rowand, 2B (25).
Phillies standouts: Jayson Werth, 2-for-5, HR (22). Ben Francisco, 2B (2). Cliff Lee (I know he killed us hitting too!), 2-for-4, 2B (1).

Probable starters for next game: Blanton (7-4) vs. Lincecum (11-3).