Giants Sweep D-Backs, Finish 6-1 Road Trip

A Majors' best 16-6 record in thus far in July, a league-leading 122 runs scored this month, and 3.08 pitching staff ERA. No, those aren't numbers from the Yankees or the Braves; they're from the Giants, who completed they're second 4-game sweep on the road to cap a 6-1 road trip against the Dodgers and D-Backs. The Giants have now won 16 of their last 20 games and are now a season-high 13 games over .500.

While the Giants remain 3 games behind the Padres, who have continued to play great baseball, the Giants have separated themselves a bit from the Dodgers and Rockies, who are now 6 and 7.5 games out of first place respectively. Although it's way too early for this, the Giants lead the Reds in the Wild-Card Standings by 1.5 games.

Usually, a Giants hot-streak coincides with a homestand, but what has been most impressive about the team's 16-6 record in July is that they have played 18 of these 22 games away from AT&T Park. Entering July, the Giants were only 15-20 on the road, but they upped it to 28-25, and they are one of only three NL teams with a winning road record.

What is the secret to the Giants' success? With a 3.08 staff ERA and an average of 5.54 runs per game in July, the Giants for the first time this season look like a complete team. Although the Giants during the first half of the season won more games than they lost, the brand of baseball that they're playing now is a far cry from the one they were before this month, when they were tremendously over-dependent on their pitching. Now, the offense is potent enough to swallow a rough outing by one of the starting pitchers. Case and point: Tuesday's game against the Dodgers. Tim Lincecum was awful, and the Giants fell in an early 5-1 hole against Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw. However, the Giants battled against Kershaw and pulled out an improbable victory against Jonathan Broxton in the 9th inning (with Bruce Bochy's brilliant managing against Don Mattingly mixed in). Neither the 2009 team, nor the 2010 team before July would have won that game. In the end, the Giants will live and die with their pitching, but the pitchers are clearly pitching with a bit more confidence as they know that with the new offense, they don't have to pitch a shutout every game.

All hail Buster Posey, his 18-game hitting streak, and his ridiculous .469 batting average in June. Watch out Stephen Strasburg and Jason Heyward, because you both have stiff competition in the Rookie of the Year race.

The Giants' recent success has been very exciting, but the schedule from here on out only gets tougher, as 44 of their remaining 63 games will be against teams with winning records. The Giants will have to sustain this winning formula if they want a shot at October baseball.

A Bogus Call Prevents A Sweep

Armando Galarraga's blown perfect game should have been enough reason for Major League Baseball to institute some format of instant replay. But baseball still chooses to operate in an archaic manner. Replay would have been plenty helpful today, as Phil Cuzzi botched a call at home plate that would have capped a thrilling comeback against Francisco Rodriguez, and given the Giants a four-game sweep of the Mets. Instead, the Giants lost in 10. Nonetheless, the Giants should be very proud of their game as of late, and should walk into Dodger Stadium brimming with confidence.

In the 6-1 stretch before the All-Star Break, the Giants survived their pedestrian starting pitching and won with surges of offense, feasting on the weak pitching staffs of the Brewers and Nationals. However, this past weekend, the Giants won with dominant starting pitching, solid defense, and timely hitting, the formula that they have to use to compete for a playoff spot. Lincecum, Zito, Cain, and Sanchez were all fantastic. Those four pitched a combined 31 innings, allowing 4 runs on 18 hits with 23 strikeouts. The most encouraging aspect of the starting pitching was that all four starters pounded the strike zone, and they issued only 5 walks. They must have heard Brian Sabean's message loud and clear. Sabean over the All-Star Break rightfully called out the starting pitching staff as not living up to expectations, citing their NL-leading walk totals. Despite the sporadic sparks from the offense, the Giants are going to live and die with their pitching.

From the offensive side, Buster Posey continued, as FP Santangelo put it, "to make a mockery of Major League Baseball." He now has a 12-game hit streak is for my money, the most complete hitter in the Giants lineup, at age 23. The homerun he hit Saturday night to right field was a thing of beauty. Not even some of the most notable right-handed hitters of the last 10 years have come even close to doing that at AT&T Park.

The best storyline on offense was the reemergence of Pablo Sandoval, who went 6-12 in the series with 3 doubles, 4 RBIs, and the key leadoff walk that sparked the rally against Francisco Rodriguez today. Sandoval seems to have discovered his swing from both the left and right sides, and Santangelo pointed out on the broadcasts that he's slowed his leg kick in order to have his hands in the hitting position earlier. The Giants, maybe unfairly, constructed their offense around Sandoval building on the season he had last year, but clearly, that has not worked out so far. But a reinvented Sandoval bodes well for the Giants in the 2nd half. The Giants need him, and he knows it.

Many fans have been clamoring for an extra bat for this lineup, and it's true that another solid hitter would be a welcome addition to this team. But the Giants' most pressing need is a reliable arm in the bullpen. While the starting pitching took a step forward this weekend, the bullpen, outside of Brian Wilson, is still shaky. Brian Sabean should devote most of his energy towards prying one of the available relievers (like Toronto's Scott Downs). For a team that's so reliant on pitching, the Giants need to have a solid bridge from the starters to Brian Wilson. Plus, assuming that Sandoval is back to his old self, a 3-4-5 of Huff, Posey, and Sandoval is not bad at all. Sure, it's not Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth, but with the Giants' pitching staff, it should be enough to make a deep run in August and September.

The Giants should not dwell on today's bogus loss. They need to capitalize on a downtrodden Dodgers team that just got swept by the Cardinals and exact revenge for the sweep that they received a few weeks ago. With Bumgarner, Lincecum, and Zito set to take the hill, the Giants have to take at least 2 of 3 from the Dodgers. BEAT LA!!!

After A 6-1 Week, Giants Finish 7-4 Road Trip

What a difference a week makes. The Giants had lost 7 in a row, 3 of 4 in Denver, and 12 of 16 overall, but a week in Milwaukee and Washington DC was just what the doctor ordered. The series against the Rockies was a debacle, but the Giants, as they have showed all season, demonstrated grit and resiliency to finish their longest road trip of the year 7-4. The Giants head into the All-Star break with a 47-41 record, 4 games behind the 1st-place Padres.

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!

The Misery Continues: Rockies Take 3 of 4 From Giants

After a disastrous 1-5 homestand, it was incumbent upon the Giants to turn things around on this 11-game road trip. Everyone knew that it was not going to be an easy task, as entering this series against the Rockies, the Giants were 15-20 on the road. Also, the last time the Giants had played a game in Coors Field prior to Thursday was the awful Ryan Spilborghs walk-off grand slam "This is not good, folks" game.

The Giants continued their losing ways, dropping 3 of 4 to the Rockies, including today's crushing loss in a 15-inning, 5.5 hour long game. The Giants are now 7.5 games behind the Padres.

Saturday's victory, where they knocked around Ubaldo Jimenez, was very impressive. They jumped on Jimenez early, and even though Barry Zito couldn't hold a 7-1 lead, they came back in strong fashion after Colorado took the lead. But in the other three games, the Giants played the same brand of baseball that they did while on their 1-5 homestand. The starting pitching was average at best, the bullpen was unreliable, the situational hitting was abysmal (3-18 with runners in scoring position in the 3 losses) , and the defense made four errors. No wonder they can't win a game.

Bruce Bochy made a very questionable move today: pinch-running Eli Whiteside for Buster Posey in the top of the 8th inning. Bochy explained after the game that he thought that Whiteside is a faster runner than Posey, meaning that he thought Whiteside had a better chance to score on a base-hit in the gap. Pinch-running Whiteside for Bengie Molina was always a good move, but I think Bochy got it wrong today. Posey is not Michael Bourn, but he's got decent speed and I'm sure that if Whiteside is faster, it's not by much. Plus, Posey was having a terrific game, having thrown out two excellent base stealers in Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez. Whiteside will be catching Jonathan Sanchez tomorrow, so it didn't make sense to have him catching at all today. Also, Whiteside went 0-2 with runners in scoring position, including striking out with Aubrey Huff at 3rd base with one out in the 13th inning. Posey surely would have had a better at-bat. Eli Whiteside is terrific for what he is: a backup catcher. But the catching job is Posey's now, and Bochy should not have taken out one of his best hitters in a tied game.

Aaron Rowand and Edgar Renteria, despite being two of the higher-salaried players on the Giants, have seen more of the bench than the field over the past couple of weeks. It should stay that way, because they're not doing contributing at all. Rowand and Renteria went a combined 1-12 today with 4 strikeouts. Renteria has 3 hits in his last 24 at-bats, and Rowand cannot lay off breaking balls in the dirt. There's no reason why Bochy should pencil them into the starting lineup; he can't just keep waiting for them to suddenly emerge out of their slumps.

Speaking of Aaron Rowand, Henry Schulman, the fine Giants beat-writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, put up an interesting trade idea on his blog: Aaron Rowand to the Cubs for pitcher Carlos Zambrano. There's no evidence suggesting that this trade has been discussed, but if it were to come up in the future, the Giants have to consider this swap. Rowand has been a huge disappointment ever since donning a Giants uniform. Although his defense has been terrific, he's been completely lost at the plate and overtaken by Andres Torres. Rowand by all accounts is a great guy, but he's in need of a change of scenery. Schulman points out that Rowand would probably benefit going to a more hitter-friendly park in Wrigley Field and playing in a city where he won a World Series. Zambrano, who's had a tumultuous relationship with the Cubs, might have punched his ticket out of town following his latest meltdown where he got into the face of Derek Lee, one of the most respected players in the game. Zambrano, if is head is on straight, and sometimes that's a big if, is a very good pitcher and he's only 29 years old. As Schulman says, money would be an impediment if the Giants and Cubs were to discuss this deal. Zambrano is owed $45 million over the next three years versus $30 for Rowand. I think if I were Brian Sabean, I'd still do this trade, even with Zambrano's checkered past and the money he's owed.

The Giants will play four in Milwaukee and hope to get out of this team-wide slump before they fall way behind in the division standings. The Brewers have terrible pitching (they rank 27th in ERA), but they have a loaded offense that features the likes of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. With the bullpen chewed up after today's 15-inning marathon, Jonathan Sanchez, who hasn't gone more than 5.1 innings in his last 3 starts, has to go deep into tomorrow's game. One more week before the All-Star break, and the Giants need to play with a sense of urgency.

The Worst Thing In The World: Dodgers Sweep Giants

When the Giants' 2010 schedule was announced, I'm sure most fans circled this homestand against the Red Sox and Dodgers. These six games were a chance for the Giants to test how they stacked up against two playoff teams, and prove that they belong in the postseason discussion. Instead, the Giants, who generally play very well at home, went 1-5 and looked like a team of rookies just getting their feet wet instead of a veteran team with playoff aspirations. Worst of all, they were soundly swept by the Dodgers, who are now 8-4 over the two seasons at AT&T Park.

Teams generally rise to the occasion when they play tougher competition, especially when aided by sellout crowds dying to make their presence felt. They battle and grind it out for nine innings. The Giants, however, played disinterested baseball this series, and they shot themselves in the foot more than anything else with boneheaded mistakes. The 1-5 homestand dropped the Giants to a 40-37 record, 4th place in the NL West, and 5.5 games behind San Diego. Ever since the team started the season 7-2, they've gone 33-35, and 8-17 against other teams in the NL West.

Give the Dodgers credit, as painful as that is, because they played terrific baseball throughout the series. They got three superb outings from Chad Billingsley, John Ely, and head-hunter Vicente Padilla. Their bullpen pitched well too, as they didn't have to use closer Jonathan Broxton all series. They played strong defense, and they scored 16 runs in three games.

What was most impressive though about the Dodgers' play was how hard the Dodgers' hitters fought against the Giants' pitchers. The Dodgers didn't allow the Giants' starters to go deep into the games because of how many tough pitches they fouled off, waiting for the one pitch they wanted in the at-bat. Jonathan Sanchez threw 88 pitches in 5 innings today, Matt Cain threw 105 pitches in 5 innings yesterday, and Barry Zito threw 113 pitches in 6 innings on Monday. On the other hand, Vicente Padilla threw only 98 pitches in 7 innings today, an average of 14 pitches per inning. The Dodgers had 15 instances of a hitter seeing 20 pitches or more in a game this series, while the Giants only had 3. The Dodgers demonstrated how teams play winning baseball. Every team should know that it's best if you knock the starting pitcher out early, and get into the bullpen.

The Giants offense during this series resembled the performance during the series in Oakland: bad at-bats, poor situational hitting, and of course, double-plays. But it went beyond all of this, to immature baserunning and bad defense. No team can win this way.

The Giants will now embark on a crucial 11-game road trip that will lead them to the All-Star break. It's going to be a tall task for the Giants to right the ship, as they are only 15-20 on the road thus far. But because of the disastrous homestand, the Giants have to go 7-4 or better to be in good standing during the All-Star break. Hopefully the Giants observed the Dodgers closely, and saw first-hand a formula for winning baseball.

As I'm writing this post, multiple media outlets are reporting that the Giants have traded Bengie Molina to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Chris Ray and a player to be named later. This trade is good news for Giants fans. Bengie Molina was a terrific Giant: he was a two-time Willie Mac Award Winner, and he performed admirably in the cleanup spot in the lineup for two years even though everyone knew that he wasn't fit to hit in that spot. Molina, who was batting .257 with a .312 OBP and an awful .332 slugging percentage, had no place on the Giants any more, especially since his defense had significantly faded. This trade allows Buster Posey to play every day at the catcher position, which is a huge addition for the Giants. Despite his slump, Posey has to be in the lineup every day; he and Pat Burrell are the most disciplined hitters on this team. Chris Ray is a former closer, and he will provide an experienced arm to the Giants' bullpen, which is in dire need of some stability. Plus, with Posey behind the plate full time, and with Aubrey Huff able to play either first base or right field, the Bengie Molina trade will give Brian Sabean some more flexibility to acquire a proven hitter who can either play the infield or outfield.

If the Giants truly believe they are postseason contenders, they better turn up their play against Colorado, a team coming off a series win in San Diego. Almost halfway through the season, it's time for the Giants to get serious and play consistently well.

Giants Conclude Frustrating Week By Reverting To Their Bad Habits

After the sweep of the A's, and winning two of three against the Orioles, it seemed as if the Giants were coming together as a more complete team. The offense was scoring more runs with good situational at-bats and timely hitting, and the pitching staff was continuing its run as one of the best in the game.

It's amazing how quickly things can sour in two weeks, as the Giants just concluded a very disappointing 2-4 week, with series losses at Houston, who the Giants had dominated earlier this year, and at home against the Red Sox. Going back to the series in Toronto, the Giants are 3-6 in their last nine games, and are now 4.5 games behind the Padres, who just completed a 5-1 road trip against the Rays and Marlins.

In rare form, the Giants' starting pitching struggled mightily this week. Barry Zito and Matt Cain turned in their worst starts of the season on Wednesday and Thursday, Tim Lincecum went only 3 innings today, and Jonathan Sanchez, after pitching only 2.2 innings last Sunday, labored through 5.1 innings on Friday. Obviously, the Giants, a team almost too dependent on their starting pitching, are not going to win when they don't pitch. All starting pitchers fall victim to bad outings once in a while, and I'm sure that the starting staff will be back to normal soon.

However, the offense this week reverted back to the terrible play they showed during the games against the Padres and in Oakland against the A's. The Giants could have easily gone 4-2 instead of 2-4 this week, even with the shaky starting pitching, had they not wasted so many opportunities. The Giants did a fantastic job setting the table, but were atrocious in bringing runners in scoring position home. In the six games this week against Houston and Boston, the Giants stranded 42 runners, and went 9-51 with runners in scoring position, which is almost as bad as the 5-54 stretch with runners in scoring position they had in late May. Once again, it's hard to fathom that a team could be that comically incompetent with runners in scoring position.

Also hurting the Giants are the continued struggles of many of the key cogs of the offense, namely Pablo Sandoval, Bengie Molina, and Buster Posey. Posey, after his torrid start, is now mired in a 7-42 slump, the type of slump that all young players new to the big leagues go through. Pablo Sandoval hasn't shown any signs of breaking out of his prolonged funk. Sandoval is suffering from Randy-Winn-Syndrome, hitting only .219 against left-handed pitching this year. His at-bats with runners in scoring position have been awful, and in his last 13 games, he's gone 10-42 with only 4 extra-base hits. Molina in his last 10 games went 8-32 with only 1 extra-base hit. We can keep saying that it's only a matter of time before these guys heat up, but they're not showing any signs of working out their problems.

The Giants have a crucial 14-game stretch before the All-Star break: 3 at home against the Dodgers, 4 in Denver, 4 in Milwaukee, and 3 in Washington DC. The Giants must at the absolute minimum go 8-6 during these next couple of weeks to keep themselves in good position for the 2nd half of the season. It's time for this team to wake up and rise to the occasion against quality opponents.

Payback!! Giants Sweep A's

Revenge is so sweet! The Giants' previous set against the A's in Oakland was the most painful of the season for the Giants, as they were handily swept after scoring only one run in three games. In a long season, it's amazing what a difference just a couple of weeks makes. This Giants team that just completed a sweep, and has won seven of ten games, looks nothing like the squad that stumbled in and out of Oakland.

The biggest difference between the Giants now and the Giants two weeks ago: consistent offensive production. In their last 10 games, the Giants are averaging 5 runs per game. That's not great, but it's a ton better than the 2.7 runs/game that they were scoring around the time of their previous against the A's. Also, if the Giants average 5 runs per game, they're going to win plenty of games as their team ERA is only 3.33.

Why the increase in offense? You have to point to the arrival of two new guys: Buster Posey and Pat Burrell. Buster Posey has done everything right since being called up from AAA Fresno. He's hitting .368 and playing excellent defense at first base, to the point that Bruce Bochy is no longer bringing in Travis Ishikawa as a late-inning defensive replacement. Burrell, obviously more comfortable in the National League, is hitting .381 and four of his eight hits as a Giant have been for extra bases. Maybe Burrell, after many productive years in Philadelphia, fell victim to baseball's toughest division, the AL East. Plenty of players fall into that category: Carl Pavano, Julio Lugo, Danys Baez. Aside from tearing the cover off the ball, both Burrell and Posey have brought a disciplined approach at the plate to balance the free-swinging tendencies of Pablo Sandoval, Juan Uribe, and Bengie Molina.

The starting pitching was once again fantastic all weekend. Tim Lincecum looks like he's rebounded from the previous erratic three weeks, as he went 8 innings allowing only 2 runs and striking out 7. Barry Zito followed with a terrific outing (his curveball was unhittable) beating his former team for the first time in his career. Zito has now beaten all 30 MLB teams. Today, Matt Cain continued his dominance, allowing only 1 run in 7 innings. Cain's ERA is now 2.11, his WHIP is 1.02, and he has a 65/28 strikeout to walk ratio in 92.1 innings.

The bullpen, however, as been another story as of late. The Giants were very fortunate the last two games to hold onto their leads. Aside from Brian Wilson, Santiago Casilla, and maybe Sergio Romo, I doubt that Bruce Bochy feels comfortable handing the ball to anyone else in that bullpen. Good bullpens (such as the ones Kevin Towers assembled in San Diego) are built with pitchers who pound the strike zone and right now, Guillermo Mota, Jeremy Affeldt, and Dan Runzler are not doing that.

The great Andy Baggarly in a tweet during the game praised the low-cost signings (1 year, $3 million) of Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe, the two steadiest hitters for the Giants all season. Huff after going deep twice today, has 10 HR and 33 RBIs to go with his .303 batting average, .395 oBP, and .926 OPS, which is 9th-best in the National League. Huff's defensive versatility has also been invaluable to the Giants. Uribe, after homering today, has 10 HR along with a .290 batting average and a .356 OBP. His 41 RBIs are best among all major league shortstops, and his .844 OPS ranks 3rd among all MLB shortstops.

Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe have also put up significantly better numbers than Matt Holliday (7 years, $120 million) and Jason Bay (5 years, $80 million), the big free agent signings from the previous offseason. Holliday is hitting .289, but has only 6 HR, 25 RBIs, and a .444 slugging percentage. Even worse for Holliday and the Cardinals is that he's posting that type of pedestrian production in the most enviable position: hitting behind Albert Pujols. Jason Bay has been worse, hitting .284 with 4 HR with 25 RBIs and a .435 slugging percentage. Brian Sabean receives a huge amount of criticism, and some of it is legitimate. But he spent the funds available to him this past offseason very wisely and for that, he deserves a ton of credit.

As interleague play continues, the Giants will begin play tomorrow against teams from the AL East. First up, the worst team in baseball, the Baltimore Orioles. The Giants better take care of business against the inferior Orioles before they face the Blue Jays and Red Sox.