In these three games, the Giants displayed their winning formula for the season: stellar pitching, a more patient approach at the plate, and timely hitting. Aside from yesterday's game, in which the Giants busted out for 10 runs and 19 hits, they did not slug their way to wins in the first two games of the series. However, the most apparent new feature of the lineup is the ability and willingness to work counts and have good at-bats, and the additions of Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff help in this regard. The key moment in the Giants' 3-run rally in the first game of the series was a walk by Mark DeRosa on a 3-2 pitch from Roy Oswalt. By the end of the second inning in yesterday's game, the Brett Myers had already thrown over 40 pitches against the Giants. Clearly, this type of patience is spreading to the rest of the offense, as even Pablo Sandoval drew a walk on 4-straight pitches in the second game. When did he ever do that last year?! The Giants have been much better with their situational hitting. They've been moving runners along with bunts, and they've been able to bring runners home from 3rd base with less than 2 outs with sacrifice flies, something that haunted the Giants last year.
Tim Lincecum was brilliant, as usual. Matt Cain pitched very well for 6.2 innings yesterday, and he's going to have another fine season. But the biggest development was Barry Zito's 6 shutout innings Tuesday night. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Zito intimated that he lost his appetite for success during the first two years of his contract with the Giants. I guess getting paid $18 million a year can do that. But this year, so far he's looked tremendously focused, and he located all of his pitches with pinpoint accuracy on Tuesday. He issued no walks in his 6 innings. Even though the pitching staff was great last year and almost single-handedly carried the 2009 team to 88 wins, the 2010 pitching staff has a chance to be even better. Barry Zito doesn't have to be the pitcher he was in 2002, but if he can put together a winning season (say 14 or 15 wins), that gives the Giants a scary 1-2-3 at the top of the rotation. Matt Cain would be an ace or a #2 starter on any other team. Also, Jonathan Sanchez was useless last year until his no-hitter, and the Giants were without Randy Johnson for most of the season. If Sanchez can finally get his head on straight and approach his potential, and if Todd Wellemeyer can just be a serviceable #5 starter, then the Giants will have the best rotation in the National League. Period.
The series this weekend against the Braves will be a good test for the Giants. The Braves have very good pitching and a rookie phenom in Jason Heyward. Let's hope the Giants can build on their sweep on the road, and continue their dominance at home.
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