Giantsblog

The San Francisco Giants have to be looking themselves in the mirror right now. Their season has been marred by up-and-down play. The team finished June by losing five games in a row, and seven out of nine. The Giants record for the month was 13-14. Their records now stands 40-37.

The team has dropped to fourth in the National League West and things won’t get easier from here. The team is in the middle of 20 straight games and will have a quick turnaround. They will be in Colorado to face the Rockies in a four game series at Coors Field,  this is the beginning of an 11 game road trip that also hits Milwaukee and Washington D.C. This will also take the Giants up to the All-Star break, July 12-14 in Anaheim. With the position the Giants are in at the moment, these next 11 games may make-or-break the 2010 squad.

What has put the Giants in this position are the problems they have been experiencing all year long. The Giants struggle at the plate, have experienced lapses in defense, and despite strong pitching, have dropped a few games late. The Giants finished 7-8 in interleague play, are currently 15-20 on the road, and most importantly are 8-17 against the division to this point. Another pain is the batters hitting into double play balls, killing their opportunities to plate runs.  The Giants lead the NL in the category, with a whopping 84 to this point, in just 77 games. The Giants hit into six double plays in the three game Dodger series, and scored only six runs. The team was 2-14 with RISP in the series, and left 18 men on base in that time.

Manager Bruce Bochy will have to light a fire under his ball club. Hopefully the Giants will respond. This next stretch of games could keep them in the NL West race or take them out of it. Bochy will turn to young prospect Madison Bumgarner to take the hill in Colorado tomorrow at 5:40 p.m. The tall, talented lefty will look to win his first of the year. This game is a must.

Go Giants.

The San Francisco Giants ended their interleague play with the American League by finishing 7-8 overall. The Giants fell to the Boston Red Sox, 5-1 on Sunday afternoon.

Tim Lincecum was once again off his game. The two time Cy Young Award winner record is now 8-3 on the season. After three consecutive wins, Lincecum lost his command and only threw three innings on Sunday. In those three innings Lincecum threw 79 pitches. On pace for well  over 100 pitches through four innings, manager Bruce Bochy decided to pull his ace. Lincecum allowed five hits, three hits and four runs in his three innings.

Once again Giants fans are undoubtedly worried about their star pitcher. Lincecum’s  loss of command in certain outings this year only prove one thing, “The Freak”, as they call him is human. Despite Lincecum’s struggles, he is still the ace of the staff and an All-Star. With the All-Star game in a few weeks, look for Lincecum to rest and reflect, and get motivated to make a playoff run.

The Giants have no time to sulk over their up-and-down struggles with the Red Sox and the American League.  Monday at AT&T Park the Giants face hated rival and divisional foe, the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is the first time the Dodgers come to San Francisco on the season. The Giants are 1-2 against the enemy to this date.

Believe it or not, this is the most important series of the season to date for San Francisco. The Giants are 3-6 in their last three series against Toronto, Houston, and Boston. Their record is now 40-34, which is not a terrible mark except for the fact that NL West leader San Diego is now 45-30, and are 4.5 games ahead of the boys from the bay. The Dodgers sit just a half game back from the Giants, so there is not an inch to spare, every game will be pivotal.

Barry Zito will look to right the ship tonight against Chad Billingsley and the Dodgers at 7:15 p.m. Expect for the Giants to be angry and put up a fight.

Go Giants.

The San Francisco Giants continued their 2010 domination of the Houston Astros, Tuesday night. With a 3-1 victory, the Giants are a perfect 7-0 against the Astros this season. Pitcher Tim Lincecum once again beat Houston ace, Roy Oswalt. This was Lincecum’s eighth win on the season and now has a record of 8-2 with an ERA of 2.86. Lincecum is now 3-0 versus the Astros this season.

The Giants had three fielding errors in the game, and still escaped with the “W”. One of those errors cost the Giants a run, and another was committed by Lincecum himself. Lincecum threw the ball into center field while keeping tabs on Houston speedster Michael Bourn. Despite the lapses in the field, the Giants had the right man on them mound.

The Giants once again displayed a new look line-up in the field. Manager Bruce Bochy started Pablo Sandoval at first base and Juan Uribe at third base. This may have been because up-and-coming star Buster Posey was not ready to face a pitcher of Oswalt’s status. It may be a look into the future though. With Sandoval unable to lose weight, the ballclub may be worried about the Pablo’s weight and his ability to move at the hot corner, third base. If this does occur, expect the Giants to start Posey at his natural position, catcher in the 2011 season.  Aging catcher Benjie Molina maybe on the out after the 2010 campaign is over. Molina only has 17 RBI to this date, he has 80 last season. Despite the loss of production, Molina is still a figurehead behind the plate and in the club house. This is not a definite solution, but that may be the answer for the Giants.

Barry Zito also looks to get eighth win on the season tonight versus the Astros at 5:05 p.m. Zito too looks to move to 3-0 against the Astros this season. Look for the Giants to continue their perfection against Houston.

Go Giants.

Side note: Edgar Renteria is back from the DL and Mark DeRosa is out for the season, bummer.

The San Francisco Giants earned a much needed road win Sunday afternoon in Toronto. The offense bailed out starting pitcher Jonathon Sanchez. Sanchez only went 2.2 innings, allowing three hits, five walks and three runs in his time on the mound. It was clear from the beginning that Sanchez did not have his command in Toronto. Sanchez threw 73 pitches in just 2.2 innings, and only 36 strikes, not even 50%.

Good thing for Sanchez his teammates picked him up when he was down. The team scored nine runs in the game after scoring only two runs the first two games in the series. The team earned six walks after only earning four in the previous two. The Giants put a 12 in the hit column, after only nine in the games on Friday and Saturday. Apparently manager Bruce Bochy made sure his ball club was well rested Sunday.

There’s a new trend for the 2010 San Francisco Giants, the long ball. The Giants went deep three times in Sunday’s affair. Aubrey Huff opened the Giants scoring with a solo shot in the third inning. Freddy Sanchez hit a three hit jack in the sixth for his first of the season. More importantly, the homer put the Giants on top for the afternoon. This was part of a five run sixth. Pat Burrell popped one out of the park in the eighth, adding two to the Giants total of 9-3.

Jeremy Affeldt struggled in the ninth, allowing three runs before closer Brian Wilson came in close the door in a 9-6 game  and picked up save number 19 on the season. Other than Affeldt, the bullpen was flawless. Bautista, Mota, Romo, and Wilson all looked impressive and preserved a big win on the road for the Giants.

The Giants head into Monday with a day off. They will be in Houston for a series with the Astros. Tuesday will be a duel by aces Tim Lincecum and Roy Oswalt. Look for the Giants to continue to dominate the Astros like they did early in the year.

Go Giants.

The San Francisco Giants look to win Sunday and avoid the sweep in Toronto. Through two games in Canada, the Giants only have nine hits and two runs.

In Friday’s event pitcher Barry Zito threw a complete game on the road but fell 3-2. Saturday, Matt Cain, the hottest pitcher in the big league’s was cooled off by the Blue Jays. Cain pitched 7.2 innings, allowing three runs, but gave up a two run shot to Toronto 2B Aaron Hill in the eighth innings, sealing the victory for the Blue Jays. Cain is now 4-2 in his last six starts, pitching a stellar 48.2 innings, allowing just five earned runs.  In both losses during this time, the Giants failed to score a run.

After recent success, the Giants bats have grown cold once again in Toronto. The team is 1-9 with RISP in the two games. The Giants have had only 13 base runners in that span. The problem is becoming clear, the Giants struggle on the road. The team is 24-12 @ AT&T Park, but only 13-18 on the road. Good teams find ways to win on the road, throughout the 2010 campaign the Giants will need to learn how to do so. The Giants are fourth in the NL with a batting average of .263, but the team is twelve in runs scored. The team is fourteenth in base-on-balls in the NL. The Giants have scored only 125 runs on the road, good for 25th best in baseball. The boys from the Bay have hit into 30 double-plays in 31 road games. They are 26th in the MLB in extra-base hits. What seems to haunt the Giants is their plate discipline and their  inability to produce runs in big situations.

Jonathon Sanchez will look to solve the Giants problems versus Shaun Marcum and the Toronto Blue Jays @ 10:07 a.m., Sunday. Despite having a 2.78 ERA, Sanchez is 5-5 on the season. Look for the Giants hitters to get back on track and put Sanchez over the hump on the season.

Go Giants.

The San Francisco Giants are set for a three game series at Toronto. In their last outing, the Giants used a Tim Lincecum win to move to 37-28 on the season. In that game, the Giants received a shot to the arm with back-to-back bombs by Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe. This gave the Giants the lead for good, and put a smile on the face of Giants fans everywhere.

The Giants are getting ample production from the home run ball of late. In fact, the have hit a long ball in nine straight games and looks to make it 10 tonight in the Rodgers Center. The Giants are starting to turn heads in the Bay Area, with their recent offensive production the Giants are a threat from the mound and at the plate.

The Giants are now only a .5 game back of NL West Divisional leaders San Diego and Los Angeles. That’s right folks, it’s a log jam in the NL West and looks to be that way until the waning days of the season.The Giants will depend on pitching and defense but will be a threat to all opponents if their offense is consistent.

Thanks to the bats of Andres Torres, Freddy Sanchez, Pat Burrell, and Buster Posey the Giants are solid from top to bottom. Aubrey Huff is having a good year and is emerging as the team leader when in need of a big hit. Juan Uribe has been a solid suprise. The infielder was supposed to back up Freddy Sanchez and Edgar Renteria, instead Uribe has started due to injuries. Not only has Uribe won the job, he has produced. Uribe leads the majors in RBI from a short stop with 42, an impressive mark, with these numbers expect Uribe to be in Anaheim for the All-Star game.

Barry Zito looks to earn his eighth win of the season tonight versus Toronto tonight. If Zito is in control of his curve, the Giants will win. Zito and fellow hurlers must pitch well in Toronto, who has a potent offense. Go Giants.

The San Francisco Giants are set for a three game series at Toronto. In their last outing, the Giants used a Tim Lincecum win to move to 37-28 on the season. In that game, the Giants received a shot to the arm with back-to-back bombs by Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe. This gave the Giants the lead for good, and put a smile on the face of Giants fans everywhere.

The Giants are getting ample production from the home run ball of late. In fact, the have hit a long ball in nine straight games and look to make it 10 tonight in the Rodgers Center. The Giants are starting to turn heads in the Bay Area, with their recent offensive production the Giants are a threat from the mound and at the plate.

The Giants are only a .5 games back of NL West Divisional leaders San Diego and Los Angeles. That’s right folks, it’s a log jam in the NL West and looks to be that way until the waning days of the season.The Giants will depend on pitching and defense but will be a threat to all opponents if their offense is consistent.

Thanks to the bats of Andres Torres, Freddy Sanchez, Pat Burrell, and Buster Posey the Giants are solid from top to bottom. Aubrey Huff is having a good year and is emerging as the team leader when in need of a big hit. Juan Uribe has been a solid suprise. The infielder was supposed to back up Freddy Sanchez and Edgar Renteria, instead Uribe has started due to injuries. Not only has Uribe won the job, he has produced. Uribe leads the majors in RBI from a short stop with 42, an impressive mark, with these numbers expect Uribe to be in Anaheim for the All-Star game.

Barry Zito looks to earn his eighth win of the season tonight versus Toronto tonight. If Zito is in control of his curve, the Giants will win. Zito and fellow hurlers must pitch well in Toronto, who has a potent offense.

Go Giants.

It was Halloween in June Monday night at AT&T Park, and the San Francisco Giants were nothing but a nightmare for the opposition. The club beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-2, improving their record to 36-27. Pitcher Jonathon Sanchez threw 7.2 innings to move to 5-5 on the season. Sanchez allowed eight hits and a walk, but only surrendered two runs. Sanchez’s ERA is now 2.78 on the season, an impressive mark for the number four pitcher in the rotation.

Sanchez got some help in the form of extra-base hits on Monday night.  Andres Torres lead the game off with a triple and later scored on a Freddy Sanchez sacrifice fly. In a 1-1 ball game, newly acquired slugger Pat Burrell went deep with a solo shot to lead off the five run second inning. In total, the team had three doubles, a triple, and a long ball.

This is a crucial improvement for the Giants. With the ability to hit for average and timely hitting, the Giants could win the pennant.  The team also showed plate discipline by earning eight walks in Monday’s game.  The Giants key improvement in their recent success has been batting average. Since joining the squad, in 16 games Buster Posey is hitting .361. Pat Burrell, in 10 games with the club is hitting .407. In those 10 games, Andres Torres is batting .395, Freddy Sanchez is hitting a deadly .357, and Juan Uribe is hitting .333. Aubrey Huff’s average in .314 in that time.

With this line-up rolling, the Giants are tough from top to bottom. The offense will have to show up tonight to help out one of their own, young pitcher Joe Martinez. Martinez will earn his first start of the season in place of injured teammate Todd Wellemeyer. Wellemeyer went down in his last start against the Cincinatti Reds with a thigh injury. Regardless, Martinez will look to bring his “A” game and get the win. Martinez is 3-2 lifetime with a 7.50 ERA. Look for Martinez’s command to tell the story. If  Martinez is in control, and he gets the same help from the offense that Jonathon Sanchez did Monday, the Giants will win their fifth straight.

The SF Giants are now only a half game back of NL West leader San Diego. With a win tonight combined with a Padres loss, the Giants could be sitting in the drivers seat, with Lincecum taking the mound Wednesday.

Go Giants.

The San Francisco Giants returned the favor and swept their Bay rival, the Oakland Athletics. Pitcher Matt Cain had another phenomenal outing. Cain went seven innings, allowing only one run. This continues Cain’s hot streak, in his last five starts Cain has pitched 41 innings, allowing only two earned runs. Cain is 4-1 record over that time and his only loss was to Oakland. Cain pitched a complete game, but fell 1-0 to the Athletics.

Sunday Cain got revenge, and some offense from his teammates. Cain was impressive with his ability to get out of the jam. Cain allowed eight hits and a walk, but only allowed one run in his seven innings.

This time around, Matt Cain got some help from the offense. In a 1-1 ball game, Aubrey Huff went deep in the sixth. Juan Uribe followed Huff in the same fashion, with a long ball to left-center field.

Juan Uribe is hitting a whopping .359 over the last 10 games with 12 RBI.  He has the most RBI by a SS in the NL. Uribe may make the All-Star game in Anaheim.

Aubrey Huff went deep again in the eighth inning. Both home runs were of the two- run variety. Pablo Sandoval was present on base for both of Huff’s round trippers. This is a big step for the Giants. Quality pitching and timely, big hits. The team is 7-3 in their last 10 games.

The Giants are now only 1.5 games back of divisional leader San Diego. At 35-27, eight games above .500 is the teams best mark of the year. The Giants are shaping up to be solid on both sides of the plate. A big test will come in their next series, starting today against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Baltimore Orioles are an MLB worst 17-46. Look for the Giants to exploit their weaknesses and continue their winning streak. With three games at AT&T Park, the Giants could go into the off-day Thursday with a six game win streak. Yes, the Giants should sweep the Orioles.

This is also important because the Giants divisional opponents above them have much tougher series. San Diego will dance with the high powered Toronto Blue Jays. The Los Angelos Dodgers will face the NL Central leader, the Cincinnati Reds.

Jonathon Sanchez will look to continue the Giants roll at 7:15 p.m. He faces  Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman.

Go Giants.

The San Francisco blew a golden opportunity for their 33rd win of the season. Things started off well for pitcher Todd Wellemeyer until his first AB. With the bases loaded in the third inning, Wellemeyer hit into a double play and also hit the DL with a thigh injury. Wellemeyer was off to a great start, allowing just one hit in two innings, which is somewhat impressive for Wellemeyer. The Giants also amassed a 4-0 lead by that point.

Pitcher Denny Bautista would take the mound in an extended relief appearance. Bautista gave up four runs in his first inning of work and pitched two innings overall.

The Giants then built a 6-4 lead going into the eighth inning, where pitcher Guillermo Mota took the hill. Mota had his worst outing of the season, allowing four hits and three runs. Mota’s ERA shot up to 2.42 from 1.27. The Giants could not recover and lost the game and split the series with the NL Central leading Cincinnati Reds.

The Giants are still looking for a string of consistent games. In games where the pitching has been dominant, the hitting has failed to convert crucial opportunities. In games where the offense shows up to the ballpark, the pitching has seemed to fail them.

Thursday the offense showed up and the bullpen stunk. Giants hitters put 13 hits on the board, but the bullpen let up just as many. Not to say the Giants didn’t have their chances. The Giants, NL leaders in double plays, hit into two more on Thursday morning. Worse off, it happened twice with the bases loaded.

Good thing for the Giants, their record is still an impressive 32-27 at this point, 2.5 games behind divisional leader San Diego. They must find a groove if they are to compete into October. At least there is 104 games left.

Tim Lincecum takes the mound at AT&T tonight. Lincecum renews the rivalry with the cross Bay rival, Oakland Athletics. Lincecum will look to defeat Oakland pitcher Gio Gonzalez for his first win in five starts. After three poor starts, Lincecum was in line for the win in his last start until closer Brian Wilson blew the save.

The Giants look to avenge a three game sweep dealt to them by the A’s last month. The Giants hitting was horrible in the series, look for it to improve on the sunny side of the Bay.

Go Giants.