Throughout the week, the Giants' offense stole the show, scoring 53 runs this week. That comes to an average of 7.6 runs/game during this week, and with their pitching staff, the Giants are going to win their fair share of games even if the offense averages 5 runs/game. Aubrey Huff bluntly told Matt Downs earlier in the season, "When we hit, we win; it's as simple as that." Granted, aside from Stephen Strasburg, the Giants did not face an impressive lineup of pitchers. But their have been many instances during this season when the Giants have struggled to hit anyone throwing the ball from the pitcher's mound.
The Giants got contributions up and down the lineup, but this week was all about Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey. Huff has proven to be one of the best, if not the best, free-agent signings from this past offseason, finishing the 1st half of the season with a .296 average, 17 HR, and 54 RBIs. Huff has a terrific 40:43 K:BB ratio. His .384 OBP, .544 SLG, and .929 OPS rank 7th, 8th, and 6th respectively in the National League. In an interview with the great Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com, Huff lashed out against the All-Star game: "It's a sham. It's so backward, it's a joke." Huff has a legitimate beef, as his numbers are clearly better than many of the National League All-Stars. Also, there were major concerns about his defense, but he's been fine either at 1st base or in the outfield. Certainly, the best $3 million the Giants have spent in a while.
The Bengie Molina trade might have turned the Giants' season around, because it installed Posey into the lineup as a regular contributor on offense and behind the plate. Also, the trade netted Chris Ray, who has become one of the most reliable arms in Bruce Bochy's bullpen, posting a 1.35 ERA as a Giant. Defensively, Posey a huge upgrade from Molina. He's been fine as a receiver and blocker, and I dare anyone to find another catcher who has a stronger arm. Posey has thrown out 42% of the players attempting to steal bases against him, which ranks 3rd in all of Major League Baseball behind Miguel Olivo of the Rockies and Yadier Molina of the Cardinals. The Giants would not have won Saturday night's game if Posey had not thrown out two runners at 3rd base in the 6th inning.
Buster Posey was unstoppable at the plate during the 11-game road trip. In the month of July, Posey's numbers are off the charts: .514 AVG, 6 HR, 13 RBIs, .558 OBP, 1.027 SLG, and 1.585 OPS. The most impressive aspect of Posey's hitting has been his ability to drive the ball opposite field to the right-center gap. 5 of his 7 HR have been to either right or right-center field. Obviously, he's going to have to tinker that approach while playing at AT&T Park, but it's so refreshing to see a young hitter drive the ball with authority all over the field. He's on his way to being one of the elite catchers in all of baseball.
On the other hand, Barry Zito has fallen off the tracks after his dominant April. He's been below-average ever since his 5-0 start, posting ERAs of 4.50, 4.30, and 7.20 in May, June, and July. Zito's past two outings were extremely disappointing because he was unable to pitch effectively despite receiving more-than-ample run support (7 runs in Colorado, 6 runs in Milwaukee). Maybe he's just in shock, not knowing what to do with run support after getting almost none all of last season. Zito had a fantastic April because of his classic, pinpoint control; in 35.1 inning in April, Zito walked only 11. But recently, he's been falling behind the count a lot, forced to come into the strike zone in 3-0 or 3-1 counts. For a guy who doesn't feature overpowering velocity, that's not a recipe for success. Thankfully, it's the All-Star break, and this is about the time when Zito gets it together.
The first half of the season was a mixed bag for the Giants. Most of us expected this team to be better than 47-41, but they finished the half on a hot streak, winning 6 of their last 7 games. Best of luck to Brian Wilson and Tim Lincecum in the All-Star game!
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