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.
