Goodbye Playoffs

Good, playoff-worthy teams elevate their game against their bitter rivals. Look at what the Phillies have done the past two years against the Mets. What have the Giants done the past two games against the Dodgers? They haven't even shown up to play, losing the first two games of this series by a combined score of 19-4. So much for Mike Krukow's prediction Friday morning on KNBR that the Giants were going to "kick some Dodger ass" this weekend.

The way the Giants offense has been going lately, they need their pitchers to throw no-hitters to have a chance to win. The strategy of scoring barely enough runs to win has run out of steam. Working counts and demonstrating plate discipline is a recipe for continued success, and the Giants don't do any of that. Not just these past two games, but all season, the Giants' hitters have had too many awful at-bats, flailing at breaking balls in the dirt and swinging at the first pitch. No matter how stellar a pitching staff is, it still needs a competent offense to complement it.

Colorado lost against the Padres tonight, so the Giants remain 5.5 back of the Rockies with 20 games remaining. I don't want to hear any talk about how the Giants are still mathematically in the race. It's over. Colorado is just so much better, and they deserve to play in the postseason, while the Giants simply do not. It's been a fun ride this year, as none of us expected this Giants team to be playing meaningful games in mid-September. It's time to give Buster Posey a few starts and have Nate Schierholtz in the lineup every day in evaluating for 2010.

Padres 4, Giants 2

Unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable. Losing 2 out of 3 to the lowly Padres at home? Really? Do the Giants really think they're a playoff team? On the other hand, the Rockies have taken care of their business at home, having won 6 in a row against teams that they should beat. The Giants now find themselves a staggering 4 games out of the Wild Card, with their next 6 games against the Dodgers and Rockies.

Barry Zito is an enigma, plain and simple. He pitches 8.1 brilliant innings against arguably the best lineup in the National League in the Rockies, but then falls 0-4 this season against the Padres, whose lineup rivals the Giants in its weakness. Zito lasted only 5 innings today, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits. After such a dominant run, his last two starts have been less than inspiring. He is such a key to the Giants success, and he needs to get out of this mini funk, as his next start is against the Rockies.

For the 2nd straight game, the Giants failures cam down to the inability to drop down a bunt. Today, it was Kevin Frandsen who did not come through, the same Kevin Frandsen who accused the Giants coaches and front office of treating him unfairly and not giving him a legitimate chance to win a major league job. Hello Kevin, you've batted .125 this year, and you cost your team a huge chance to win by not being able to drop down a bunt. Prove your worth with results before shooting your mouth off.

The next six games will determine whether the Giants still have a shot at October baseball, or whether they'll be watching the playoffs from home. It's time to pull out some of the magic that appeared during Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter and the Giants' recent sweep of the Rockies.

Padres 4, Giants 3

What a flurry of events! First, we found out that Tim Lincecum was scratched from his scheduled start today because of back spasms. Any injury news regarding Lincecum has the same effect on Giants fans as a presidential assassination, but word from the Giants is that Lincecum will be ready for his next start.

Then we found out not only about 20-year-old pitching phehom Madison Bumgarner's surprise promotion, but the fact that he was going to start tonight in Lincecum's spot. Giants fans did a collective double-take. Catcher Buster Posey's promotion was already unexpected, but no one saw Bumgarner getting the call. Brian Sabean had reiterated many times that Bumgarner was on the list of September call-ups. I had mixed feelings about Bumgarner's promotion. I definitely did want to see him pitch with all of the hoopla surrounding him. However, he's only 20 years old, only two years out of high school, and had already logged a lot of innings in the minor leagues. I thought that the Giants would take the cautious route and allow him to stay in the minors.

Bumgarner did a very nice job tonight, going 5.1 innings, allowing 2 runs (on 2 solo HRs) on 5 hits with 4 strikeouts and only 1 walk. It's unfortunate that he didn't get his first major-league win tonight, as Will Venable hit a towering, impressive homerun to right-center off Brandon Medders to tie the game. He was obviously a little out-of-sorts tonight, completely amped up for his debut. The scouting report on Bumgarner in the minors was that he features a high-velocity fastball, a nasty breaking-ball, and most importantly, pinpoint control. The velocity wasn't there as advertised tonight, probably because of all the innings he's logged this year, but he did show nice control, walking only 1 batter. The Giants have to decide this offseason whether Bumgarner will occupy the No. 5 slot in the rotation next year. I say have him spend one more year in the minors to build his confidence and firm up his mechanics. No need to rush him.

Overall, a very tough loss for the Giants. Bumgarner kept them in the game, and the bullpen made enough errors for the Padres to eke out a run. Unfortunately, Colorado keeps winning at home and now the Giants are 3 games back in the Wild Card. Another big start for Barry Zito tomorrow to win this series going into this weekend against the Dodgers.

Giants 9, Padres 4

Was that really the same team that just finished a 3-3 road trip? I couldn't recognize them. It's amazing how different a team the Giants are once they return to AT&T Park. The pitching was great, as usual, but the Giants scored almost as many runs today as they did during their entire previous road trip.

Brad Penny had his second consecutive impressive outing in the orange and black. He pitched 7 strong innings, allowing only 2 runs on 3 hits with 6 strikeouts. He has a 1.20 ERA as a Giant. Sure, not having to face the DH helps, but Penny has made some adjustments that prevented him from being successful in Boston. He still throws a blazing fastball, as he was consistently in the mid-90s with that pitch. But he now has better command of his change-up (a Jason Schmidt-like 90 mph change-up) and curveball, allowing him to mix his pitches more effectively. Penny admitted as much in his post-game news conference, saying that in Boston, he was consistently behind in counts, which gave opposing hitters the advantage of waiting for his fastball. With Brad Penny in the No. 5 slot, the Giants have the deepest rotation in all of baseball. Penny's next start will be against the Dodgers, with whom Penny had a very messy divorce. Expect fireworks.

Penny, unfortunately, showed why he doesn't have a sterling reputation around baseball. He's a hothead. There was absolutely no reason for him to yell at Adrian Gonzalez, who had a respectable trot after his mammoth homerun. Gonzalez didn't pull the Prince Fielder act for sure (more on that later). Penny then exacerbated the situation when he jawed at the Padres dugout after a strikeout to end the 6th inning. No need for that at all. He has to stop these antics that create enemies.

Where would this team be without Juan Uribe?! I love the U-Ribe chants! He's been carrying the team as of late, and he came through big again today with 2 homeruns and a triple for a total of 5 RBIs. Remember, the Giants signed him to a minor-league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. While swinging the bat well, he's done an admirable job playing 3B, SS, and 2B. The Giants better bring him back next year.

It was great to see Freddy Sanchez, who makes this offense a lot better, back in the lineup. Sanchez is a perfect #2 hitter, and he had a nice 2-4 day and also dropped down a key sacrifice bunt in the 5-run 3rd inning that allowed Eugenio Velez to score on Pablo Sandoval's double. Some fans were down on Sanchez because of his injuries, and yes, it's been frustrating not having him in the lineup. I absolutely love this guy. He's one of the few players on this team that consistently gives quality at-bats, displays solid bat control, and comes through in situational at-bats. He also plays a very good 2B. He's going to help this team a lot down the stretch.

Great win overall for the Giants today, especially after yesterday's frustrating loss and Prince Fielder's show of disrespect. What Fielder did yesterday was classless. No matter how exciting a play, you never show up your opponent, ever. On top of that, you don't disrespect your opponent that just took two out of three games from you on your home field. Also, the Brewers are 5 games below .500 while the Giants are in contention for the playoffs. Fielder isn't a rookie; he should know better, and I'm sure Ken Macha and his staff brought him back down to earth today. Angels' outfielder Torii Hunter, one of the classiest and most respected players in the game, put it the best: "It's all TV, acting, until someone gets hit with a pitch in the chin...Baseball is not like the NFL, where you can celebrate in the endzone." Karma is omnipresent in baseball, and today, Prince Fielder went 0-3 with two strikeouts against Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Giants and Brewers will meet next in Spring Training, and Fielder shouldn't be surprised if he gets nailed with a 95-mph fastball.

Let's get some runs for Timmy tomorrow!

Giants 3, Brewers 2

Cain vs. Gallardo Part I in Milwaukee didn't go well for the Giants. Cain gave up 5 runs in 7 innings in route to his 2nd loss of the season, and Gallardo shut down the Giants, allowing only 1 run in 7.2 innings on 4 hits with 9 strikeouts. Milwaukee hasn't been a kind place to the Giants as of late, and Cain had been stuck on 12 wins in his last seven starts. As Duane Kuiper aptly put it after the final out, "It doesn't come easy in Milwaukee." Yet, looking like a team that's gunning for a postseason berth, the Giants have ground out 3-2 victories in the first two games of this series.

I, like many Giants fans, are running out of superlatives to describe Matt Cain. Thankfully those Cain to the Brewers rumors didn't come to fruition because he's finally become the ace that we were all hearing about. It's hard to remember that Cain is actually younger than Tim Lincecum. Cain is getting more run support than the previous two seasons, but the real key to Cain's breakout year is the improvements that Cain has made himself, and you have to give Cain tons of credit for that. His walks are significantly down from the previous two years, and he's not falling behind hitters as frequently as he used to. He's pitching more intelligently because he's not attempting to strike everyone out, but instead pitching to contact to go deeper into games.

I haven't hidden my reservations about Eugenio Velez as an everyday player, but he saved the Giants today with his bat, speed, and defense. The play he made in the 8th inning to prevent the Brewers from tying the game was the play of the year. Freddy Sanchez's return to the lineup on Monday will be a welcome addition, but Velez has filled in admirably, especially since he's been told to play the infield and outfield.

Juan Uribe proved his worth to this team yet again today. Bruce Bochy has said that when Freddy Sanchez returns, he intends on leaving Uribe in the lineup at 3rd base, shifting Pablo Sandoval to 1st. I wholeheartedly agree with Bochy. The Garko/Ishikawa platoon hasn't been successful, and with every game hugely important, the Giants cannot mess around with a failing experiment any longer.

The Giants have gone all season without completing a sweep on the road. Jonathan Sanchez has been on fire lately, and a 4-2 road trip is much better than 3-3.

Phillies 2, Giants 1

Tim Lincecum didn't deserve to lose this game. He was brilliant tonight, going 7 innings, allowing only 2 runs on 4 hits with 11 strikeouts against a deep Phillies lineup in a small ballpark. Not to take anything away from Pedro Martinez, because he was fantastic too, but it's a lot harder to do what Lincecum accomplished tonight than Pedro shutting down this pathetic Giants lineup. The Giants' pitching was stellar all series, but what would have been a three game sweep with a half-decent lineup turned into losing 2 out of 3. It's unbelievable how poorly this team plays on the road.

What has been one of the most glaring weaknesses of the 2009 Giants? They're inability to have quality situational at bats. On Tuesday against Cole Hamels, the Giants couldn't get Ryan Garko to third base after a leadoff double. Tonight, Eugenio Velez, with the game still tied 1-1, hit a leadoff double off a seemingly-unhittable, but then Edgar Renteria grounded out to shortstop on the first pitch, unable to advance Velez to third. It's always hard to play the "what-if" game, but it certainly would have helped Lincecum to have a lead. They cannot waste such great starting pitching like this, or Lincecum is going to not want to be a Giant anymore. Lincecum's starts are win days, and the Giants cannot squander his starts anymore.

Milwaukee hasn't been a kind place to the Giants as of late, especially to Barry Zito. If the Giants really want to be a playoff team, it's time to wake up on the road.

PEN-NY!!! PEN-NY!!! PEN-NY!!! Giants 4, Phillies 0

There have been many indications that 2009 is a special season for the Giants: Randy Johnson's 300th victory, Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter, Edgar Renteria's Grand Slam. Add Brad Penny's unexpectedly superb outing to that list. I think all Giants fans would have been content with 5 or 6 innings and 3 or 4 runs allowed. But 8 shutout innings against arguably the best lineup in the National League in a bandbox that is Citizens Bank Park, is above and beyond the call of duty. It's like the Seinfeld episode where Elaine is dating a guy that goes to absurd lengths to show Jerry's parents a good time in New York. Brad Penny doesn't have the most glowing reputation, but he's motivated now going into free agency, and he's pitching with a chip on his shoulder. Who knows; the playoff chances for the Giants could depend on the quality of Penny's outings, considering that the Giants know that they're going to get fantastic starting pitching from the rest of their rotation.

The Giants won again tonight with the long ball, as they did on their most recent homestand. It must have felt good for Aaron Rowand to hit one out against his old team, and he's matched his homerun total from last year. How great has Juan Uribe been this year! Sure, he's not an every-day player, but he's a tremendously valuable reserve not only because of his ability to play anywhere in the infield, but also because of his ability to occasionally yank one out of the ballpark, as he did tonight. He's come up with so many huge hits this year, and his experience on the 2005 World Champion White Sox make him a very key piece for the Giants. The Giants, as has been reiterated many times, do not have to pile runs on all the time to win. They just need spurts of offense like this in a couple of innings to complement their stellar pitching. What a great win tonight after a tough 1-0 loss yesterday.

The Giants go for a series win on the road tomorrow, with our Timmy on the mound. I'll be at the ballpark tomorrow, and it should be lots of fun.