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San Francisco– The Giants fell to the Florida Marlins by a score of 4-3 Monday night in the bay. The NL Wildcard leaders had their chance late in the ninth, but couldn’t capitalize as Edgar Renteria struck-out to end the game with Freddy Sanchez sitting on third.

Pitcher Barry Zito pitched 6.1 innings, allowing six hits and three runs. Not the best performance of the season, but Zito  received no run support in his time on the mound. The Giants scored late Monday, but it wasn’t enough. Aaron Rowand hit a towering home run in the seventh that left the ballpark with help from a fan. The play was reviewed and the HR counted. Rowand also scored a run in the ninth, bringing the final score to 4-3. This is great news for the Giants, a slumping veteran stepping-up, if Rowand can return to prominence at the plate the Giants will continue to contend.

Buster Posey left nothing to the imagination once again, he bopped a single in his first at-bat in the second inning, taking his hitting streak to an astounding 19 games, three games away from the Giants’ rookie record. Posey is .459 for July, tops in the big leagues.

Despite the loss Monday, the Giants looked confident in the dug-out, trying to mount a comeback before ultimately falling short. With smiles to go around, this is the best sign of a winning team.

Pitcher Matt Cain takes the mound today vs. Marlins ace, Josh Johnson. Johnson, an All-Star, is 10-3 and has the best ERA in the majors, at 1.61. In his last 10 outings, Johnson has pitched 71.1 innings, and has allowed only seven earned runs. During this span, Johnson has struck out 78 batters. These numbers are ridiculous and the Giants will have their hands full Tuesday night beginning at 7:15 p.m. Matt Cain will need his best stuff on the mound, and the Giants bats will have to be patience and alert.

The Giants look to end Johnson’s roll and continue their own. The boys from the bay are 9-3 since the break and look to make it 10 today. Bochy’s ball club leads the Wildcard race by 1 1/2 games over the Cincinnati Reds at the moment, and trial the San Diego Padres by 3 1/2 in the NL West. Keep fighting boys.

Go Giants.

Arizona– The San Francisco Giants have completed a four game sweep of the Diamondbacks. The club picked up win 56 Sunday afternoon behind eight solid inning from their ace. It took the Giants 10 innings but they prevailed with the  sweep, after a 3-2 victory.

The story coming into the game was the hitting streak of Buster Posey. He ended the suspense in his first at-bat, bashing a double to center, bringing home Aubrey Huff. Posey also had a double in the tenth inning, and after Eli Whiteside was elected to pinch run for Buster, Whiteside scored on a Travis Ishikawa single.  Buster Posey went 4-5 on the day, bringing his batting average up to a robust .371, and his hitting streak to an outstanding 18 games. The Giants are winning as a team these days, and the look like they are enjoying themselves. Aubrey Huff also had an RBI in the fifth. Huff is hitting .417 in his last 10, and is clearly reaping the benefits of Posey’s success.

Sergio Romo(3-3) pitched the ninth and picked up the win. Brian Wilson earned his 29th save on the season. This ties Wilson with San Diego’s Heath Bell for tops in the entire league. The Giants now trail San Diego by three games in the NL West. Here’s the good news; the Giants lead the the NL Wildcard by 1 1/2 games over St. Louis and Cincinnati, who are tied for the NL Central. The Giants are now 9-2 since the break and couldn’t look better. The Giants must remained focused and realize there are two grueling months left in the season. The team has now won 28 games on the road and at home, the sign of a winning ball club.

Nothing will help to continue the winning ways more than a return to AT&T Park. The Giants head home to the bay to face the Florida Marlins for a four game series. Barry Zito will take the hill Monday at 7:15, facing Marlins pitcher, Ricky Nolasco. The team must keep up the fun if they are to keep winning. Kudos to manager Bruce Bochy for preparing his men.

Go Giants.

Arizona– The Giants continued their second half hot streak Saturday, whooping the Diamondback 10-4. Pitcher Madison Bumgarner is proving the hype and shined in his outing Saturday.  Bumgarner picked up his fourth straight win, pitching seven innings, striking out seven, and only allowing two runs. Bumgarner also helped his own cause Saturday, drawing a walk, scoring a run, and completing a sacrifice bunt to moving teammates to second and third. Bumgarner has been just what the Giants needed, a solid fifth starter.

Madison Bumgarner didn’t do it all by himself Saturday, as the young lefty got plenty of help from his teammates. Aubrey Huff plated a run in the first, scoring Edgar Renteria, and giving Bumgarner the boost he needed. The Giants weren’t done their, as they put double digits in the run column. In the fifth Renteria drove in Bumgarner and then super rookie Buster Posey did what he does best and busted up Arizona pitching, knocking a single and scoring Andres Torres. Posey went 2-3 on the day with two walks, he  also scored a run. This brings the budding superstar’s hit streak to 17 games, second all time in Giants history. Fans in the Bay Area are catching Buster fever, as they should.

Juan Uribe put the game away for the Giants in the seventh inning, hitting his thirteenth homer on the year. This was a grand slam and put the Giants up 7-1 at the time. Torres, Renteria, and Huff all drove in runs in the eighth to solidify yet another great performance for the Giants. The squad is now 8-2 since the All-Star break, and believe it or not, are in the lead for the Wild Card at the moment. Yes, as of today, the Giants are in the playoffs. With 64 games to go, every one is crucial, but with the team chemistry through the roof right now, the Giants are in control of their destiny.

Tim Lincecum takes the mound today, looking to complete the sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks at 1:10 p.m. Lincecum will be going for snake eyes, win number 11 on the year. Lincecum will pitch against Barry Enright, clearly Lincecum will have the mental edge.

On a scary note, Eugenio Velez was struck in the head by a Pat Burrell foul-ball in the fourth inning. Velez was rushed to the hospital where he stayed the night. Velez appears to be fine but will make a trip to the DL until the cob webs clear.

On another note, Pablo Sandoval will miss a few games to attend to personal business in his native Venezuela. Pablo will be missed, but maybe the journey will focus him for the last two months of the season.

On a bright note, announcer Jon Miller will be inducted in to the baseball Hall of Fame this afternoon in Cooperstown. What a delight for Miller and the Giants.

Go Giants.

Arizona– The Giants won again thanks to a great performance by Matt Cain, who threw eight shut-out innings. The Giants won 3-0, Buster Posey contributed with an RBI and continued his hitting streak, now at 16. Andres Torres and Aaron Rowand also added RBI, and  closer Brian Wilson added to his save total, now standing at 27. The look in the clubhouse looks dynamic right now.

Jonathon Sanchez will face Edwin Jackson tonight at 6:40 p.m. This will be a battle of pitchers who have thrown no-no’s earlier in their career.

Go Giants.

Los Angeles– The Giants failed to complete the sweep of hated rival LA Wednesday, falling 2-0. Starting pitcher Barry Zito pitched well, going 7 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs. Zito was out-dueled by Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley, who threw a complete game shut-out.

The Giants had plenty of opportunity to win Wednesday, but fell short in the scoring department. The Giants failed to convert with two outs in the game. Three times, in the third, fifth, and sixth the Giants had runners-in-scoring-position with two outs but couldn’t manage any damage.

This may have been just a rough game for Bruce Bochy’s ball club. Despite the team’s  recent success, the zero in the scoring column still has to worry Giants fans a bit. Although Billingsley pitched a great game, the Giants were 0-8 with RISP. The Giants had concerns about offense coming into the season, and it’s games like this that warn that concern. Sure, every team gets blanked once in awhile, but it’s the up-and-down offense that is worry some.

Expect the Giants to head to Arizona with runs in their minds. With a consistent attack the Giants could rise to the top in the NL West. The Giants are still in second-place, now four games behind NL West leader San Diego, who had a comeback win in Atlanta Wednesday night to overtake the best record in the NL. Look for the Giants to keep the positive momentum going in AZ, despite the loss on Wednesday. The team has to be feeling good. The Giants have won 12/16, and when one thinks about it, that’s 10% of the season. Winning 75% of your games is a great mark, even if it is for a small portion of the season. Put a couple of the streaks together, and you have a winner.

Buster Posey continued his hit streak to 15 games. The Giants are 11-4 during the streak. Matt Cain will take the hill looking for his eighth win of the season at 6:40 p.m. tonight. He will face Arizona pitcher, Rodrigo Lopez.

Prediction- The Giants score six or more runs and keep the momentum rolling. Look for the Giants to start playing with a chip on their shoulder, as they battle for respect. Now is the time.

Go Giants.

Los Angeles– The San Francisco Giants stole Tuesday’s game from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth inning. The Giants put up a fight and closed the door, winning 7-5 with three runs in the last stanza.

The boys from the bay got some help from a mistake by acting Dodgers manager, Don Mattingly. With one out in the ninth and with the bases loaded Mattingly took a visit to the mound to speak with Dodgers closer, Jonathon Broxton. Mattingly left the mound, then turned and stepped back on the mound for another word with the All-Star closer. Giants manager Bruce Bochy noticed the move and went and spoke with the umpires. Technically, stepping on and off the mound, then back on is considered two visits. Dodgers had to pull Broxton because of this move. This put George Sherrill on the mound, and with no warm up Sherrill gave up a two run double to Andres Torres which put the Giants in the lead 6-5. Buster Posey added a single and the Giants prevailed, moving their record to 52-42.

Bochy deserves credit for his keen eye in Tuesday’s game. Broxton having to leave the game was key. The Giants are now .500 on the road at 24-24 and are a season high 10 games above .500 on the year. Now only three games back of first-place San Diego, the Giants withhold the confidence needed to go all the way.

Giants will look to sweep the Dodgers at 7:10 p.m. this evening. Barry Zito will face Chad Billingsley. This will be a crucial match-up, Zito looks to continue the roll. If the Giants sweep, they will head into Arizona winning 13/16 games. The Dodgers are on a season high six game slump and will come out swinging Wednesday night. The rivalry is heated, and neither team wants to budge.

The Giants will look from production from Posey and Sandoval, both men carrying 14 game and seven game hit streaks, respectively. The look in the clubhouse was one of unity and glee Tuesday night, a great sign for the stretch run.

Go Giants.

Los Angeles–  The San Francisco Giants muscled up Monday night and took down their hated rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2.  The Giants now bring their record to 2-5  versus the Dodgers this year, and move to 10-20 in against the division. Despite those dismal numbers the Giants moved back into second-place in the NL West, now four games back of leader, San Diego. In professional sports, winning is a cure-all, and this could not hold truer for the Giants at the moment. The Giants have won four-of-five since the break.

Madison Bumgarner picked up his third straight win Monday night, and his first career against the long time rival. Bumgarner pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing six hits but only one run. The young up-and-coming pitcher showed he has what it takes overcome the fear of base runners. Bumgarner only run came on a solo shot from Rafael Furcal in the sixth. This is great news for the Giants, as the fifth spot in the starting rotation has been a question mark all season. With Todd Wellemeyer still on the DL, with another solid performance, Bumgarner may take the spot in the rotation.

The Giants yet again got a stellar contribution from Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval. Posey moved his hitting streak to 13 games while Sandoval upped his to five games. In the top top of the third, the duo put the Giants on top and in control. Posey singled in Andres Torres, then Sandoval doubled to bring home Posey. If the Giants are to make the playoffs, Sandoval has to find his form from last season. So far in the second half, Pablo is getting the job done. Sandoval is 8-17 since the break. The Giants also got a two run shot from Nate Schierholtz in the fourth. Freddy Sanchez later added a RBI, and the pitching held, leading to the 5-2 victory.

The Giants ace, Tim Lincecum will take the mound tonight at 7:10 p.m., looking for win number 11. The Giants should see this as a crucial game. With a win, the Giants would move to 52-42, 10 games above .500, and they would move their record to .500 on the road at 24-24. If the Giants succeed, this will be the game where the team could realize their massive potential. This could lead to a huge second half roll, one that would bring smiles to Giants fans worldwide.

Go Giants.

San Francisco– The Giants put up a fight but ultimately fell short, Sunday afternoon at AT&T Park. The Giants scored in the first inning to take the lead, 1-0. They also scored two in the ninth to take the game to extra innings. Phenom Buster Posey continued to put up numbers, using a sacrifice fly in the first, notching RBI number 28, in just 42 games. Posey now has a 12 game hit-streak, not bad for a rookie.

Pitcher Jonathon Sanchez had a quality start Sunday against the New York Mets. Sanchez went seven innings, allowing just two runs. The young lefty struck out five, while only walking one. His counterpart, Johan Santana went eight innings, and left with a 3-1 lead. Neither man picked up the win or the loss Sunday, for it was the ninth inning when things got a little hairy.

Pablo Sandoval drew a lead-off walk from Mets closer, Francisco Rodriguez to start the ninth. All world utility man, Juan Uribe then singled to center. With runners on first-and-second and no one out, catcher  Eli Whiteside used a sacrifice to move the men to second-and-third. Then stepped in pinch-hitter, Travis Ishikawa, who has made the most of his opportunities this season. In 62 games and 71 plate appearances, Ishikawa is batting .338. True to form, Ishikawa bashed a deep single to bring home Renteria( running for Sandoval), and Uribe, tying the game. What excitement. After an Andres Torres double, and only one out, the Giants were in business with two men in scoring position. Freddy Sanchez hit it to third and Ishikawa broke for home and the hopes of being the hero. He was called out on a questionable call from the home plate umpire. Aubrey Huff later ended the inning.

The Giants ran out of luck in the ninth, as Ike Davis put a run on the board, scoring Jason Bay to give the Mets their final lead, 4-3. Tough loss but a good fight from the Giants Sunday afternoon in San Francisco.

The Giants need to keep the fight and now focus on LA, and the Dodgers. The Dodgers are coming off being swept in a four game series at St. Louis. Look for LA to be a little angry. Madison Bumgarner will look to make a statement against the Dodgers tonight at 7:10. Dodgers will start James McDonald, his first start of the year. Look for the two rivals to try and make a statement in the first of a three game series. Something has to give, and hopefully it’s the Dodgers as the Giants dominate.

Go Giants.

San Francisco– The Giants continued their winning ways, taking their streak to five on Saturday. Matt Cain went seven innings, picking up his seventh win. Cain had plenty of help from his teammates Saturday night. The Giants busted out the bats and put up a total of eight, winning 8-4.

After scoring only three runs in the first two games, both victories, the Giants put up five runs in the second. Juan Uribe and Pablo Sandoval both drove in runs before Andres Torres went deep scoring Uribe and Sandoval. Buster Posey continued to fulfill the prophecy in the third inning. The rookie catcher hit his eighth homer of the year, and seventh this month, and its only half over. He went 2/4 on the day, and also scored two runs. His batting average is now a healthy .356.

The Giants are now 50-41 on the year, nine games above .500. The Giants are 9-1 in the last 10 games.  Today is the game that may fill the Giants with the confidence they will need for the last half of the season. Twice this season the Giants were nine games above .500, but never 10. The last time was when they were 40-31, 20 games ago. The Giants went on a skid, even reaching 41-40 at one point. It’s time to hush the critics and solidify themselves as a contender.

The Giants will have their hands full today if they are two sweep the New York Mets.  They will face former two time Cy Young Award winner, Johan Santana. The Giants will have to have quality at-bats to try and wear down the Mets’ ace.  Jonathon Sanchez will take the hill for the Giants. Sanchez looks to win his eighth on the year. Sanchez will definitely need more than a few runs from his comrades.

This is a huge game, not only would the Giants sweep the Mets and move their record to 51-41, this is their last game at home for a week. The boys from the bay have a seven game road trip versus the Dodgers(3), and the Diamondbacks(4). The Giants are currently 22-24 on the road, but a measly 9-20 against the NL West. Nothing would help more than the confidence of a six game win streak before hitting the road. The Giants also have a chance to go above .500 on the road, which is a true sign of a contender. Time to win some respect.

Go Giants.

The San Francisco Giants behind Tim Lincecum got an important win to begin the 2010 second half. Lincecum went the distance and shut out the New York Mets on Thursday night. This is the fourth shut out of Lincecum’s career, his tenth win on the season, and the 50th win of Lincecum’s MLB lifetime. 50 wins is a minor milestone in what seems to be a Hall of Fame career for the 26 year old from Bellevue, Washington. Lincecum only needed 110 pitches in the game, striking out five, walking only one.

The Giants are now 8-2 in their last ten games. This recent success comes after going 1-9 the ten games prior to that, dating back to June 23rd. What the Giants need is consistent play if they are to have a chance in the second half.  Lincecum came to the mound Thursday night and delivered a masterpiece that could set the tone for the Giants.

The Giants are now 48-41, 3.5 games back of NL West leader, San Diego. This will be the tightest division in the big leagues coming down the stretch. The Giants must be consistent on the mound and at the plate if they are to make the playoffs. The Giants have 63 games left, 46 of which are against teams with a winning record. The boys from the bay also have 47 games left in the division. The Giants clearly have no room to spare. The squad is 9-20 against the division right now, last in the NL West. It’s time to put up or shut up for the Giants, time to get tough.

One man that put up instead of shut up Thursday night was Giants third basemen, Pablo Sandoval. The Panda may have got his biggest hit of the year early in the game yesterday, driving  in Buster Posey and give Lincecum a 1-0.  Sandoval came into the second half hitting .263 after hitting .330 last season. The Giants need Sandoval to get going to be a winner in 2010. The look of enthusiasm on Pablo’s face told the story Thursday night, as Sandoval got the boost he needed.

The Giants also need Buster Posey to keep up the good work. Posey may be the hottest man on the planet in the month of July. Posey was named NL player of the week last week, and is 22/43 for the month. Wow. Since the Benjie Molina trade, Posey is hitting .500. Maybe it’s that Buster Posey feels comfortable, catching consistently since the move. Maybe it’s that Buster Posey realizes the time is now, and he has to guide his pitching staff and ball club to the postseason. Posey drove in the other run last night, sealing the 2-0 Giants victory. Regardless, if Giants to the likes of Sandoval and Posey get hot and stay hot, the team will be tough to deny.

Barry Zito will take the mound tonight vs. the Mets.  Zito is 7-4, and will face Jon Niese, who is 6-3. The teams face off at 7:35 p.m. Every games is a must for the Giants from this point forward.

Go Giants.

On a side note; Giants signed pitcher Dontrelle Willis to a minor league deal.