Giants Finish 6-3 Homestand

The Giants wrapped up an impressive 6-3 homestand against three of the four NL playoff teams from last year: the Cardinals, Phillies, and Rockies. They were 0-3 in sweeping these teams, but everyone should be happy with a 6-3 stretch against three very good teams, especially considering the disastrous 1-5 road trip that preceded this homestand.

The most surprising start in all of baseball: Barry Zito's 4-0 April. Zito even in his glory years in Oakland was always a notoriously slow starter. His renewed attitude and heightened focus are very apparent; he's pitching his guts out now. He went through the whole month of April without giving up a homerun (he gave up 21 last season) while holding opponents to a .167 average. As Buster Olney simply put it, "He's back."

Matt Cain finally broke through into the win column with a stellar outing on Saturday, completely dominating the Rockies. He pounded the strike zone all day, and since he's always been very tough to hit, the Rockies had no chance. Finally, the Giants scored some runs for him. Aubrey Huff said after Saturday's game that "the only time we really lose is when we don't hit." Great to see Huff start to heat up at the plate. The Giants need him to produce, and they need Mark DeRosa to get out of his season-long slump so that there's some punch in the middle of the lineup behind Pablo Sandoval. As great as the Kung-Fu Panda is, he can't do it all on his own.

It's time for the Giants to turn it up on the road. They say that if you win 2 of 3 at home and go .500 on the road, you're team will be alright (that comes out to about 93 wins). The Giants are doing great in home department, as they've taken 2 of 3 in every home series, but they have to improve on their 4-5 road record, particularly when it comes to hitting. This team will always pitch well, but the bats have to carry an equal measure of the weight.