Giants Sign Brad Penny and A Day Off to Look At What's Ahead

Brad Penny cleared waivers today and as expected, the Giants signed him for the remainder of the season. Penny will pitch in the #5 slot previously occupied by Ryan Sadowski and Joe Martinez.

Penny's numbers with the Red Sox aren't pretty: he was 7-8 with an abysmal 5.61 ERA, a WHIP of 1.53, and an opp. BA of .299. He also has a reputation of being somewhat of a headcase. However, I think this is still a good acquisition by the Giants. Penny has had very good success pitching in the National League, and we all know that pitching in the NL West is a hell of a lot easier than pitching against the Yankees and Rays. The Giants won't ask much of Penny; if he merely goes 5 or 6 innings while keeping them in the game, the Giants will be happy. Penny is set to hit free-agency at the end of the season, and so, you can count on him to have some extra motivation and to keep his mouth shut. Also, he will relish facing the Dodgers, the team that he left last season on terrible terms. The Giants gave up nothing to acquire Penny, and they're only paying him $100,000, so overall, it's a low-risk high-upside move.

The Giants enter September tied with the Rockies for the Wild Card lead and 6 back of the Dodgers. I'm going to say that the Braves, Marlins, and Cubs are done. The Braves and Marlins both got embarrassed by the lowly Padres at home, and the Cubs, who signaled they were throwing in the towel by placing Rich Harden on waivers, have their own multitude of issues.

The Giants easily play the toughest schedule in relation to the Dodgers and Rockies. The Giants begin a difficult six-game road trip in Philly and Milwaukee, then after three at home against the Padres, they play nine straight against the Dodgers and Rockies. They'll also host the Cubs at home for four games towards the end of September. On the other hand, the Dodgers will play only nine games for the rest of the season against teams with winning records: the Giants and Rockies. Besides that, they face a healthy dosage of the DBacks, Padres, Pirates, and Nationals. Safe to say that the Dodgers will clinch the division sometime in September. The Rockies play most of their remaining games at Coors Field, but along with playing the Giants and Dodgers, they will also face a tough task against the Cardinals. The keys for the Giants to sustain their run will be keeping up their stellar starting pitching, come up with timely hits on the road, and regain their health. Freddy Sanchez will be a welcome addition this week, and the Giants need Bengie Molina back in the lineup and Pablo Sandoval at 100%. No matter how this season ends, we will all be grateful for exciting baseball in San Francisco for the first time in a long while.