SF 5, ARI 3: Mota Good, Zito Baaaad

Barry Zito only lasted 1 2/3 innings tonight after spraining his foot catching a bunt pop up. It remains to be seen whether Zito will make his next start or even go on the DL, but reports say he was walking on crutches after the game. Unfortunately, Zito probably wouldn't have lasted long either way because in the little time that he did pitch, he looked pretty terrible.

This is the first start of Zito's I've seen this year, so I am basing this assessment on an extremely small sample size, but considering his ERA was 5.56 coming into tonight, I think it's safe to assume he hasn't been very good so far. The most shocking thing to me was the velocity on Zito's fastball. Obviously he's never thrown hard, but if I remember correctly, Zito's fastball velocity was around 86-88 at the start of last season. Tonight it was 82-84, with most of them closer to 82. Velocity is a very overrated aspect of pitching because pitchers can succeed with good command and movement on their pitches, but wow, an 82 mph fastball is just really, really slow. Considering he keeps losing 1-2 mph on the fastball every year, what is he going to have a 79 mph heater in 2 years? Obviously I'm exaggerating, but not many pitchers survive with a fastball that soft. Not only that, but his pitches weren't moving and he wasn't controlling his offspeed stuff at all.

I don't want to sound like an irrational Zito hater, because that's exactly the opposite of what I am. I still think Zito is one of the best 5th starters in baseball and better than a lot of No. 4s. I thought Bruce Jenkins' notion that Zito might be cut was beyond ludicrous. I scoff at those who think the Giants have a better option in the minors. I do feel bad for the guy. He's making $18 million a year but it can't be easy going through the amount of criticism he gets and it's not his fault that a team was stupid enough to give him that much money. And most importantly, I do realize I've personally only seen 1.2 innings of his work. He did have a pretty good start to the season after all, the 1st inning notwithstanding. But being a Zito apologist who kept thinking he could put together a season better than the year before, I can't pretend like I'm not a little concerned. He looked baaaaaaaad today.

Again, I refuse to react crazily to SSS(small sample size). Just an observation.

Anyway, the Giants did win this game, so I should point out the happy from today. Buster Posey hit a 2-run homer in the 1st and Freddy Sanchez drove in 3 runs with a double and a single. And Guillermo Mota absolutely saved the bullpen by coming in and allowing just 1 ER in 4 1/3 IP, the most of his career.

The Giants go for the sweep tomorrow against Barry Enright, who is one of those mediocre pitchers that always makes the Giants offense look bad. Bumgarner is pitching for the Giants, so it'll be interesting to see if he can put together his first quality start of the year.

NLDS Roster Update

The roster has been set and announced. You can see the roster and Andrew Baggarly's analysis here.

No Jose Guillen, which is a bit of a surprise. Apparently his neck may be bothering him more than we thought. And no Barry Zito. I think you know our position on that decision by now. Mota, Rowand, Ishikawa, and Renteria are all in.

Discuss in the comments section if you'd like.

The NLDS Roster

Update: Rowand will be on the roster. It's looking like Zito will not. I think that's a mistake.

Every other Giants blog has done or will do a postseason roster post, but it's pretty much an obligation and we seem to have some different opinions than everybody else anyway. As you probably know, postseason rosters are set at 25 players, so the Giants have a few tough decisions to make regarding who they want to keep and who they want to leave off the postseason roster. I'm going to break down how I think the roster should be formed, starting with the pitchers.

Pitchers

Bochy has stated that he's likely to carry an 11 man staff, and there are a few guys who are locks to be on the roster. Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, and Bumgarner are all guarantees. The first three are pretty obvious choices and Bumgarner has pitched too well to be left off the roster. Bochy said today that if a 4th starter is used, it will be Bumgarner.

That leaves 7 guys for the bullpen. The combination of Casilla, Lopez, Ramirez, Romo, and Wilson in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th innings worked extremely well late in the year, so they are all locks. That means there are 2 spots available for 5 guys: Barry Zito, Jeremy Affeldt, Dan Runzler, Chris Ray and Guillermo Mota. I would say Ray and Runzler do not make the cut, as Ray is pretty mediocre and Runzler can struggle with control. Jeremy Affeldt probably makes it because the Giants could use another lefty.

The last roster spot is where we seem to disagree with most people. Between Guillermo Mota and Barry Zito, I'm going with Zito. Ever since his terrible start in the final series against the Padres, the Leave Barry Zito Off the Postseason Roster Movement has gained a ton of momentum and I don't get it. I've heard he takes too long to warm up or he doesn't have bullpen experience or the Giants don't need another lefty or he just isn't good enough. Let me start by saying that pitchers are pitchers. Guys are usually put in the bullpen because they don't have enough pitches or control to be in the starting rotation. You don't often hear that a starting pitcher doesn't have what it takes to be a reliever. If he really needs a ton of time to warm up, so what? If he needs to long toss before games, let him long toss. Zito is not supposed to be a lefty specialist out of the pen. His value comes from being able to give the team innings when they need them. The rotation has been spectacular, but disaster starts happen. Having Zito come in to pitch a few innings at a time when needed would keep the bullpen fresh and be extremely valuable. I know Giants fans have a short-term memory and when they needed a good Barry Zito start at a crucial time, he failed. And when it was needed the most, Guillermo Mota gave the Giants 2-3 great innings out of the bullpen. But I can't be convinced that Zito isn't one of the best 11 pitchers on the roster and that the Giants don't need a long man. His numbers this year(4.15 ERA, 1.344 WHIP) aren't even terrible. Barry Zito should be on the NLDS roster.

Hitters

With 11 pitchers, the Giants will carry 14 position players. Certain guys like Torres, Sanchez, Huff, Posey, Burrell, Ross, Uribe, and Sandoval will absolutely be on the roster. I figure Schierholtz, Fontenot, and Whiteside are pretty sure bets for the bench because of their defensive value.

That means Guillen, Rowand, Renteria, and Ishikawa will fight for the last 3 spots. Just yesterday, Andrew Baggarly proposed leaving Jose Guillen off the roster entirely, which seemed ridiculous to me at the time, but isn't all that crazy. Guillen has been struggling immensely for a couple of weeks now and it's time for Cody Ross to be in the starting lineup. What it comes down to for me is Guillen vs. Rowand. Rowand does provide some defensive value, but very little offensive value. Guillen provides negative defensive value and while he hasn't been providing any offensive value lately, when he's right, he's a much more dangerous threat on offense than Rowand. Despite his recent struggles, I have to go with Guillen. Rowand's defensive value is a big deal but in a pinch-hit situation, I'll take Guillen. However, I might have a hard time arguing with you if you pick Rowand.

Renteria will probably make the cut just because he's the only true shortstop on the team. That means the final spot goes to Rowand or Ishikawa. To me, this is basically a draw. Like I said, Rowand does provide some defensive value in the outfield and Ishikawa would even out the bench with 3 RH and 3 LH, while also providing defensive value at 1st base. My gut tells me Ishikawa, but I'm not really sure why. A good case could be made for either player.

Final Roster:

Starting Lineup

Torres

Sanchez

Huff

Posey

Burrell

Uribe

Sandoval

Ross

Bench

Guillen

Schierholtz

Fontenot

Whiteside

Renteria

Ishikawa

Starting Rotation

Lincecum

Cain

Sanchez

Bumgarner

Bullpen

Zito

Affeldt

Casilla

Lopez

Ramirez

Romo

Wilson

SD 4, SF 2: So It Goes...To Sunday

The Giants had their 2nd chance to clinch the NL West today, and they failed to do so. They must win tomorrow to avoid a 1 game playoff against the Padres in San Diego on Monday. I would have loved for the Giants to win today, but now that they have lost, it's just as well that they wait till tomorrow, when Kruk and Kuip will be calling the game. Because as bad as this game was, (and we will certainly get into how bad it was) the real loser today was FOX's MLB coverage. Just a few words on it, if you please.

FOX was already getting killed last night and this morning for forcing a majority of their national viewers to watch the meaningless Red Sox/Yankees game. I'm sure a vast majority of baseball fans would rather see either game today that had playoff implications. But that's only the beginning of how clueless they are over at FOX. I mean, the announcers are bad enough, but then again, most announcers for any company are terrible, so that can't really be avoided. Still, the David Eckstein love that was being thrust upon us today sounded so foolish and out of place, you'd have thought it was parody. So while we had to deal with a very subpar boradcasting team during this pivotal game, at least there were laughs to be had. What was not a laughing matter was what started happening in the middle innings. It's what made today's game possibly the worst viewing experience I've ever had watching a baseball game on tv. 3 times, between, say, the 5th and 8th inning, FOX inexplicably cut away from the Giants game to a split screen situation, where the Atlanta/Philadelphia game was prominently featured, along with Dick Stockton's voice, while the Giants/Padres were shoved into a little corner and told to be quiet for 5 minutes. I've never seen anything like it. One minute I'm watching my team play, and the next I'm getting up to stand right in front of the tv so I might be able to see what's going on. The worst was when the Giants were coming up to bat in the bottom of the 8th, trailing by 3, and FOX decided it was the perfect time to show the top of the 7th inning in Atlanta. Now, I understand that game in Atlanta is important, but the one between the Giants and Padres is arguably MORE important, and if FOX is going to force us local viewers of a team to watch their awful broadcast of our game, at least LET US FUCKING WATCH IT! Okay, that's all. Now to the awful game itself.

It was a terrible game for Barry Zito from the start. He walked in 2 runners in the 1st, and barely got out of the inning without more damage being done. He allowed 1 more run in the 3rd inning, and had given up 5 hits to that point. When he walked the pitcher to start the 4th inning, Bochy wasted no time taking him out. And it was the right choice. The runner he walked scored, but the bullpen shut the Padres down for the rest of the game. One of Zito's runs went unearned because of a terrible play by Pablo Sandoval. Sandoval, someone who clearly loves playing the game and is a great force for positivity and energy in the clubhouse, seems to always try to do too much in pressure situations, and in this case he turned a great play into a terrible one, stopping a line drive from going into left field, but then rushing his throw to 2nd base. It was way off the bag, and a run scored.

Barry Zito did not help his situation with the San Francisco fans today. Of course, it isn't his fault that he is being paid so much money. But that DOES always factor into the feeling that surrounds him. And while he has been vastly overpaid these 4 years, he at least has been able to pitch, and pitch at an average to slightly below average level. But games like this hurt. When he has to leave in the 4th inning because he walked the pitcher, criticism becomes more than justified. Matt Cain pitched a bad game last night, but he also nearly no hit the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field last Sunday. Zito has yet to do something like that in his Giants career. Today, he faced a terrible offensive team, at home, and he failed completely. It could have cost him his place in the postseason rotation, if that is something that even exists next week. Zito, pitching only 3 innings today, will finish the season with 199 IP, falling short of 200 once again. He has yet to pitch 200 innings for the Giants, and it has nothing to do with injuries. Zito has been completely healthy. He just hasn't pitched well enough to stay in games long enough to get to that mark.

While Zito pitched badly, the bullpen was able to hold the Padres afterward, but it didn't matter, because the Giants offense was terrible until the very end of the game. Before Juan Uribe's solo HR in the 7th inning, their sole hit was an infield grounder that Mike Fontenot beat out. Tim Stauffer had their number. If we wanna be positive, there is the issue that San Diego could be facing a very tired bullpen. Both of these games could have been blowouts, and instead Bud Black had to use all his favorite relievers. Mike Adams the set up man has been used in 5 straight games now, Bell the closer in 4. And Bell looked tired in the 9th inning, when he managed to get Jose Guillen to ground into a double play (!!!!!) to end the game with the tying run on 1st base.

Obviously Black will use Bell and the others like Dusty used Robb Nen in 2002, working them to the end. And it would be the right decision. But it's very possible that this could hurt San Diego tomorrow or on Monday, god forbid there is a game on Monday. Anyway, I look forward to tomorrow's game wholeheartedly. I just don't see how this team gets swept at home on the final weekend of the season. It can't happen, right? And if it does, there's always Lincecum on Monday. And don't forget, if Atlanta loses tomorrow, the Giants and Padres are in no matter what. But we want the division. So fuck that. Let's win tomorrow!

COL 10, SF 9: That Was Not Good, Folks

Okay, maybe this game wasn't as bad as that infamous Ryan Spilborghs grand slam in the 14th inning game, but this one was all sorts of messy. Normally, I might write some sad excuse for a recap, but this game deserves some in-depth analysis.

Right away, the Giants got on the board with an opposite field home run from Freddy Sanchez to give them a 1-0 run in the 1st. It was an encouraging start especially because the Rockies starter, Jason Hammel, wasn't looking too sharp. Unfortunately, Barry Zito didn't have his best game either. In the bottom of the 1st, Zito walked 2 batters and gave up 2 hits, resulting in 2 runs. The Giants got solo shots from Andres Torres and Aubrey Huff in the 3rd, giving them the lead, but Zito couldn't protect it.

The 5th inning was a disaster and that's really where the game changed. The Giants now had a 4-2 lead, but Barry Zito gave up a pair of triples to start the inning. With a 4-3 lead and a runner on, Bruce Bochy pulled Zito mid-at bat to bring in Chris Ray from the bullpen. Some didn't like the move to take out Zito so early, but I had no problem with it. He was wild and could never get on a roll. I did take issue with the decision to bring in Chris Ray, though. All year, Ray has been the pitcher that Bochy goes to when the Giants are trailing by a run or two, not with a 1 run lead on the road. It seemed like an odd choice, especially with guys like Casilla, Lopez, Ramirez, Romo, and even Mota and Affeldt available. Anyway, Ray allowed a 2-run homer to the first batter he faced, Troy Tulowitzki, and the Rockies had a 5-4 lead. The inning wasn't over as Ray gave up another deep flyball, Cody Ross slipped, and the Rockies had another triple. At the end of all that mess, the Rockies had scored 4 runs and had a 6-4 lead. There were defensive issues, bad strike zone calls, and questionable managerial decisions. It was the definition of a disaster inning.

And then the Rockies had their own version of a disaster inning. After losing the lead in such a disgusting way, the Giants didn't seem affected by it. Juan Uribe and Mike Fontenot lead off the inning with singles. Pinch-hitter Travis Ishikawa then blooped a single to score a run. The next batter, Cody Ross, hit what seemed like a flyout to left field, but it turned out to be a home run. Freddy Sanchez then doubled and advanced to 3rd on flyout, eventually scoring on a wild pitch. Five runs and a 9-6 lead. Life was good again.

But then there was more weirdness. I'm sorry for the back and forth, but this is how it felt. The Rockies scored in the bottom of the 6th to make the score 9-7. Fast forward to the 8th inning when the Rockies had two runners on with 2 outs and Brian Wilson was brought in to try for a 4-out save. The batter was Troy Tulowitzki, who hit that 2-run homer earlier to give the Rockies the lead. This time, Tulowitzki lifted a high flyball to right field that hit off the wall. The Giants were lucky that it wasn't hit out, but in any case, the Rockies tied the game and gave Wilson his 5th blown save in 50 opportunities. No one scored in the 9th, so it was on to extras.

Extra innings were no different. Tulowitzki screwed the Giants again. One out, a runner on 1st, and Tulowitzki hits a ball to the left-center gap. It took extra long for Burrell to get to the ball because he was playing the line. He had no chance, and the Rockies won the game.

Besides the constant lead changes, this game was weird on so many levels. After a pitcher's duel the night before, this was a typical Coors Field game. The Giants' streak of 18 games allowing 3 runs or fewer is over. The strike zone was kind of ridiculous and inconsistent all night. It could be argued that in the 5th inning and 10th inning, bad balls and strikes calls affected the game, but I won't make excuses. Andres Torres had to leave the game early with slight discomfort. He hit a home run and it doesn't seem too serious, but you have to wonder if he was rushed back too soon. That's a huge deal. The Braves, Padres, and Rockies all won today, and the Giants are no longer in first place in the West. But I find myself not too upset about the game and I don't really know why. Maybe it's because it was unlikely that the Giants were going to sweep on the road at Coors Field, and out of all the games, this one was the one they were most likely to lose. Of course, that means they need to win tomorrow, but I might have more confidence in Matt Cain than any other starter on the staff.

It was a loss, but this being the most important series of the year so far, it's really lived up to expectations. We've known that this race would probably come down to the wire and this game felt like playoff baseball. It doesn't even matter that much that we're half a game back in the standings because it goes back and forth almost everyday. This is exciting, intense baseball.

Sorry for the very long recap. There was so much to cover and I wouldn't be surprised if there mor then a few errrs in their.

SF 9, MIL 2: Jose Guillen Is Relevant

When the Giants acquired Cody Ross, I declared Jose Guillen redundant, irrelevant, and useless, and said that he should be relegated to a pinch hitting role. Guillen hasn't completely caught fire since then, but he's had some good games and big hits, none bigger than his 1st inning, 2 out grand slam against Milwaukee today. The Giants never looked back, scoring 5 more runs, including 2 on a Guillen single later in the game.

Guillen is a better option for the Giants not just because he's hitting lately, but because Cody Ross is failing to do so. In a very small 47 PAs, Ross' Giants slashline is .195/.277/.220/.496. Means nothing, really, because of small sample size, but still, may Andres Torres return as fast as possible. Ross' slashline may have looked a little better after today if a leadoff home run hadn't been brought back by Ryan Braun. Braun made an amazing play, and he let everyone know that he thought so too. What a hateable player he is.

Barry Zito did a good job of shutting the Brewers down after the Giants scored 4 runs in the 1st inning. He hasn't always been successful doing that, sometimes giving up a little momentum after the offense scores. Braun homered in the 6th to make the score 6-2, but Zito was able to finish the inning, and Bochy wisely got him out of their before any weirdness happened.

A big part of the Giants offense today was the patience they showed, in stark contrast to the past 2 games. They drew 7 walks as a team. Buster Posey had 3 himself, and Pat Burrell 2, both helping set up Jose Guillen's RBI situations. With the win today, the Giants moved back into 1st place in the West. The Padres just aren't the same team anymore that they were for 5 months, and Colorado gave up a 6-1 lead to the Dodgers, losing in the 10th inning. But I don't expect either team to completely go away. The Giants' postseason chances are gonna all come down to the final series against each of those teams. On Friday, the Giants travel to Denver for a weekend series. If they play well, it could mean a playoff spot. If not, it could be another "This is not good, folks" moment.

LA 1, SF 0: Giants One-Hit The Dodgers!

And lose! I don't even know what to say about this game, because I'm having trouble assigning blame in a game where you'd think the blame is obvious. Barry Zito, though he failed to finish the 6th inning, pitched very well. The only run he gave up was unearned, coming on an error by Juan Uribe with the bases loaded and 2 outs. But can we really put the loss on Uribe for that 1 error? It must be the offense's fault. They lost their 2nd 1-0 game in 4 days. And as easy as it is to talk about the shortcomings of this offense, and to point out that it is foolish to think that going into next year with a similar lineup would make the Giants a playoff team, tonight I don't think is the night to blame the offense. Because Clayton Kershaw is one hell of a pitcher. This wasn't Wade LeBlanc pitching. This was Kershaw, and he's gonna be annoying us for years to come.

He has a GREAT curveball. When he spots it on the outside corner to a right handed hitter, there's nothing that can be done. And tonight that's what he was doing. Many times, Giants fans have watched their starters lock in and completely baffle a good lineup like the Phillies or Brewers. So what could be expected when Kershaw is pitching like that and the Giants lineup is hitting. They had no chance. Great pitching seems to always have the edge in the end. So it goes for the Giants.

ARI 3, SF 1: Every Game Is Crucial Now

It seems a bit silly to care about each and every game right now and to react so strongly when the Giants lose. But it really isn't silly at all. This is the last month of the season and when you have a chance to sweep a very, very bad team on the road, you better capitalize. And you know what else? San Diego still scares me. They may have had a 10-game losing streak, but they're about to sweep LA and I don't doubt that they can still shut down our offense and score just enough runs to beat us. With the Rockies slowly creeping up behind us and the most important series of the year so far coming up, tonight's loss was very disappointing.

The loss was that much worse because Barry Zito pitched well for the first time in over a month. It seems like right now he can do no right, as he was hounded by Giants fans on Twitter early tonight when he gave up a couple of runs, but his start was solid. He went 6 IP, giving up 4 H, 2 ER, and 3 BB with 7 K's. That kind of performance should normally be good enough to get the team a win, but the offense failed the Giants tonight.

The only run came from a Freddy Sanchez home run. Surprise!

Tomorrow is the start of an absolutely CRUCIAL series against the Padres. It would've been nice to have been ahead in the standings before facing them, but the Giants have a chance to do some real damage this weekend anyway. It's looking like by the end of the night, they will be 2 games back in the West. It's a 4 game series, so the Giants will need to win at least 3 games to be tied or ahead of San Diego. On the other hand, if the Giants completely fall flat, they'll be in big trouble. Let's hope the pitching staff and the offense bring their A-games this weekend.

It's A Slow Day

It's cold and overcast here and I'm basically using that as an excuse for me not being able to come up with something to write about today. So, I thought I'd throw out a question for you guys.

Barry Zito is starting tonight, and as the rotation has started to heat up in September, Zito is the lone starter who has not found his groove. As a result, there seems to be a lot of negativity and hate surrounding Zito. I'm not saying it's unwarranted hate, he hasn't looked good for over a month now, but a thought came into my mind.

When the Giants make the playoffs, and if they go with a 3-man playoff rotation, who are your 3 guys?

This is NOT if the season ended today. By the end of the season, when the playoffs come around, which 3 guys do you want starting for the Giants? I think it's an interesting question because despite Zito's struggles, both heads of 8thInningWeirdness would go with Lincecum, Cain, and Zito. But I have a feeling that many of you would choose Bumgarner, maybe Sanchez over Zito.

I think Lincecum and Cain are locks for everybody. If you don't have both of them in your lineup, I would really like you to explain yourself. So, the focus is on the 3rd starter. Personally, I go with Zito because of his postseason experience and because I still think he'll be our 3rd best option. Sanchez is the most erratic of all the Giants starters and by the time the playoffs roll around, Bumgarner might be worn out.

Anyway, leave your 3-man rotation in the comments section and explain why you chose those guys.

LA 4, SF 2: At Least The Padres Suck Too

It wouldn't have mattered if Barry Zito had pitched a good game today. The Giants managed 2 hits the entire game, and only had 2 more baserunners, both walks from Pat Burrell. That was it. Just another night in Chavez Ravine against Chad Billingsley.

Zito had no command tonight, which is why I somewhat questioned the decision to intentionally walk Barajas to face Billingsley the pitcher with the bases loaded. I understand that Barajas, even though he's not very good, is 10 times the hitter Billingsley is. I just hate the idea of forcing your pitcher to load the bases when he is already struggling with command. We know what happened: Zito went 2-2 to Billingsley and then left a fastball up for him to hit into left field, scoring 2 runs for the Dodgers. That was all they needed.

I got nothing more to say. Read the post below this on the front page to make yourself feel better. It's me being an asshole/douche/prick, and it was fun.

The Good From Last Night

Okay, last night's game was terrible. The Giants blew a lead against a team that is slowly creeping up behind them in the standings and they failed to capitalize on a night when both the Wild Card and division leaders lost. Maybe that flyball was a freak play and every outfielder would have charged in to get it. Fine, I think I can buy that. But Freddy Sanchez's terrible bounce pass to 3rd base gave up the lead, and none of it would've mattered if the Giants scored more than one pathetic run. The game was lost yesterday because of bad defense and bad offense. However, last night's game was a good sign for one reason, though. The pitching. For once, I'm going to be optimistic.

The pitching struggles in August have been well-documented. During this month, they've had a 4.65 ERA, good for 3rd worst in the NL. Pretty surprising that our pitching, and not the offense, is costing us down the stretch. Obviously this team is carried by the pitching staff, so they won't be going anywhere near the playoffs if the staff doesn't get back on track. But yesterday, Jonathan Sanchez, the most erratic of all the Giants' starting pitchers, pitched a gem. And the day before, Matt Cain had a quality start. Two back-to-back quality starts from the staff is an extremely welcome sight. Cain has been pretty great all season, but if guys like Sanchez, Zito and Lincecum can get back to their early season dominance, this team's going to be hard to beat. You can tell all of the starters feed off of each other. If everyone's pitching well, no one wants to be the one to break the streak. Like I said a couple of days ago, it just takes a couple of good starts in a row for the staff to get back on track.

I'm willing to bet that last night's game was an anomaly. Our defense is in a pretty bad spell right now, committing 11 errors in the last 5 games. That is terrible and they are not a terrible defensive team. (Jose Guillen is pretty bad though. Despite last night's misplay, Cody Ross is definitely the best option out there.) They aren't great, having below average guys at 3B, SS, and LF, but they don't make too many errors and they're not 11 errors in 5 games bad. Also, the offense should be able to score more often than not. With Sandoval and Sanchez getting hot the lineup now has Torres, Sanchez, Huff, Burrell, Posey, and Sandoval all hitting well. That's not a bad lineup at all. But the key to winning is still the pitching and if last night was any indication, the pitching could be close to regaining form. Maybe the Giants can finally combine good pitching, good hitting, and better defense at the same time. This team needs a run, a July type streak, to get to the playoffs and if that's going to happen, the starters need to get hot.

CIN 12, SF 11: The (Almost) Best Game of the Year

Wow. I was at the ballpark today, and that was a crazy game. The game had three stages: Extreme Boredom, Overwhelming Jubilation, and Mild Disappointment. I'm going to break down all 3 stages and it means a lot coming from me, because I was there. Live. This is first-hand experience, people. So, listen up!

Stage 1: Extreme Boredom

Madison Bumgarner was terrible today. Absolutely terrible. As a result, the Reds went all Giants on the Giants. I hope that makes sense. Right off the bat, the Reds scored 4 runs in the 1st inning. Then they scored 4 more in the 3rd. At that point it was 8-1 and Bumgarner was out of the game. Then it was 10-1. The Reds were just piling it on. It must've been the same way Reds fans had felt for the past 2 games. Awful. It was complete boredom. The combination of terrible pitching, a lackluster offense, and the hot sun made me want to take a nap. Luckily, I don't do that at baseball games. The Giants would cut it down to 10-5, but still I had pretty much conceded this game to Cincinnati. Stage 1 lasted until the 7th inning.

Stage 2: Overwhelming Jubilation

Stage 2 had maybe the most 8th Inning Weirdness we've seen all year. But it was good Weirdness. At this point the score was still 10-5. Jose Guillen singled to start the inning. Pablo Sandoval followed by also hitting a single. The next batter, Juan Uribe, hit a 3-run homer right over the wall. Unbelievable. Uribe has fallen pretty far over the course of the season (his OBP is below .320), but he has had a few very important home runs. If nothing else, his power is very valuable in the 7th spot of the order. The Giants were now down just 10-8 and there were still 0 outs. Then a pair of new Giants, Cody Ross and Mike Fontenot, each singled. Up came Andres Torres, who roped a double down the left field line. Seeing Fontenot rounding third to score the tying run was amazing. Four innings ago, no one would've thought the Giants would be in a position to take a lead in this game. And you know what else? Still. 0. Outs. So, Andres Torres was on 2nd and Buster Posey came up. Buster was the only Giant without a hit today, but in his most important at-bat of the game, he came through with a sacrifice fly to move Torres over to 3rd. One out. Next up was Aubrey Huff. Huff hit a fly ball not too deep to right field, but it was good enough for Torres. 11-10 Giants. Un. Freakin. Believable. Onto the next stage.

Stage 3: Mild Disappointment

In the top 9th, the Reds tied the game at 11-11, and it was pretty much all Pablo Sandoval's fault. On a sharp ground ball to 3rd base, Sandoval rushed the throw to 1st and it went over Huff's head. Drew Stubbs advanced to 2nd on the throw, and there was just 1 out. A single from Paul Janish would bring Stubbs home to tie the game. It would've been great if the Giants could shut down the Reds after such a great comeback, but it didn't happen. Sandoval's error was 1 of 5 Giants errors in the game.

The 10th and 11th innings were quiet, but because the Giants have been carrying just 11 pitchers, Barry Zito had to come out and pitch the 12th. Zito wasn't too sharp, giving up a double and then an RBI single to give the Reds the lead. The Giants weren't able to score in the bottom of the inning and the game was over.

The disappointment was just mild because the Giants showed resiliency. They came back from a 9 run deficit, not giving up after falling behind so early in the game. It was certainly good to see and at least I didn't have to sit through a completely boring game.

Brandon Belt was promoted to AAA today. This is his first year in the minors and he's jumped from A to AAA. I love him. Keep an eye out for a post on him tomorrow.

Barry Zito and the Unicorn Club

I'm sure all of you have heard about Barry Zito's trip to the Unicorn Club, but if you haven't, listen to it here. You can read a transcript of the story right here.

We've decided to put Barry Zito's rendezvous with Powder the Unicorn into comic form for the second installment of the 8thInningWeirdness Comic Strip Series! You can see the first comic on Bengie Molina and Blackmail here. The writing is done by me and Reza and the illustrations are created by the great artist/HTMLer and loyal Giants fan, Niki(Follow her on Twitter @Zaphaire. Follow us too while you're at it). We realize that the Unicorn Club story was told a long time ago by now, but in our opinion it never gets old. Please understand that this is not an original 8thInningWeirdness story, but just an interpretation of the original. Enjoy!

Game Recap: STL 8, SF 0

Do I have to write a recap about this game?

But I will, kind of. The Giants had 3 hits, 2 of them coming from Pat Burrell, and the Cardinals had 15. At some point Barry Zito kind of imploded and had his shortest outing of the year. Jaime Garcia faced just one more than the minimum number of hitters over 9 innings and threw 89 pitches. That's it.

I do have one big complaint. You play to win on the road. I understand that Aubrey Huff needs rest and Andres Torres might have some kind of injury, but why rest your guys in the rubber match of a series on the road against a serious Wild Card contender? Why not rest Huff a day later at home? Bruce Bochy gave the series to the Cardinals by running out that terrible lineup today.

We also learned during the game that the Giants were awarded the claim on Cody Ross. All of a sudden the outfield is extremely crowded. To make room for Ross the Giants will probably have to get rid of Nate Schierholtz. I'm not sure if he's used up all of his minor league options (maybe someone can let me know?) or if we'll have to DFA him. At first glance, I didn't really care for the move. Ross has a .316 OBP and it'd be a shame to have to DFA Schierholtz to make room for him. But, it seems like Ross is finally going to be the right-handed hitter off the bench who's great against lefties. First we thought it was Pat Burrell, then Jose Guillen, and now it seems like it's going to be Ross (Although if Bruce Bochy had his way he'd probably have a Burrell-Ross-Guillen outfield). Ross does have a .846 OPS against lefties, so he should be valuable as a pinch-hitter with power.

Be sure to check out the blog tomorrow, as we have a very special post coming. Stay tuned.

Game Recap: SF 5, CHI 4

Barry Zito was not very good tonight. He gave up 10 hits in 6.1 innings, the last one a HR that allowed the Cubs to tie the game for the 2n time in the game. Thankfully, the Giants offense was there for him tonight. They put together 3 runs in the 1st inning, the biggest hit being a 2 run RBI single by Pat "Why am I not hitting cleanup" Burrell. Barry Zito was good until the 6th inning, when he gave up 2 runs to tie the game. Then Aaron Rowand hit a HR, showcasing the only part of his game that still has value to the team. It was a great HR for Rowand, but hopefully it doesn't mean a ton of playing time. After the Cubs tied it at 3-3 on Cubs' rookie Tyler Colvin's 18th HR of the season, Sergio Romo came in to relieve Zito. On his first pitch he hit Starlin Castro, but then got 5 straight outs. Pat Burrell came up in the bottom of the 8th inning and hit his 8th HR as a Giant, raising his season OPS above .800, quite an accomplishment considering he was a .625 when he left Tampa Bay. It was all Brian Wilson needed, as he got the final 3 outs of the game, a game the Giants needed to win to stay close to the Padres, who have the luxury of playing Pittsburgh this week. Pablo Sandoval had 2 more hits, including a very pretty double to the gap in right center. Maybe he is ba...NO!

Lastly, one negative comment: Freddy Sanchez is back hitting 2nd. I don't know why.

Game Recap: SF 3, ATL 2

Sorry to all the enthusiastic Giants fans out there, but I just can't really get excited about this game. I'll try to start with the positive, which all took place on the mound tonight. Barry Zito had a great start, striking out 10 and walking 2 in 7 innings. His only runs were 2 solo HR's. The bullpen pitched 4 innings of 2-hit ball, and new Giants Javier Lopez ended up getting the win. Romo pitched well, as did Ray, as did Wilson of course. All good news.


But it's games like this that make you realize this team still can have a lot of trouble scoring runs. The Giants only managed 4 hits tonight; 2 by Torres, and 2 by Pat "why am I hitting 7th" Burrell, who also walked twice. Everyone else did almost nothing. August has come, and it appears more and more likely that both Pablo Sandoval and Freddy Sanchez are going to be cold the entire year. Travis Ishikawa was hot for awhile, and earned himself more playing time, but he has gone cold of late, and it was to be expected. Juan Uribe is Juan Uribe. His power is valuable. But you can't expect him to act like a true 5 hitter, cause he isn't.

The Giants' offense tonight was very bad. Yet with help from the Braves, they were able to tie the game in the 9th inning. Huff was hit by Billy Wagner on the 1st pitch. Posey hit a groundball that turned into an error. Juan Uribe, hit a flyball that advanced Huff to 3rd base. Then Pablo Sandoval hit one of the ugliest, wimpiest groundballs ever, so ugly that Chipper Jones was unable to look at the ball, and let it get by him, allowing the Giants to tie the game. The Giants were helped again in the 11th inning, when the Braves inexplicably walked Pablo Sandoval to load the bases with 1 out so they could pitch to Pat Burrell. And Burrell drove the run in with a sacrifice fly. He better play tomorrow, and he better not hit 7th.

We'd really benefit from another hitter. But not Jose Guillen. Please no.

Game Recap: SF 2, LA 1

I always wanted the Giants to sign Pat Burrell. When he was DFA'd by the Tampa Bay Rays and the Giants expressed interest, I was super excited while everyone else was ready to gouge their eyes out over the thought of him on the team. I always knew that he was a difference maker, a guy still in his prime no matter what everyone say. That is all a lie. And all I can say is, I am smarter than everyone else. Where's the "Lynch Pat Burrell" Crowd now?!?!

So Pat Burrell hit the go-ahead home run in the 8th inning. Against the Dodgers. Basically making Casey Blake's solo home run meaningless. The crowd was electric. Perfect game.

Nevertheless, Chad Billingsley and Hong-Chih Kuo combined shut down the Giants offense through 7 2/3 innings and it was depressing. Anyone who said the Giants didn't really need another hitter is just wrong. The offense is still capable of putting up terrible numbers. On that note, it's also good that we acquired two bullpen arms today, because Denny Bautista needs to go. One time I was at a game, and I was in the stands and I was about 200 feet from Bautista. Cool, huh? He seemed like a nice guy based on the eye contact we made, but he's not a good pitcher. He walked Kuo, a guy who never hits, on 4 pitches and Podsednik on 5. Luckily for him, Mota bailed him out, but he's still going to get DFA'd. I still don't know why Bochy goes to him so much. What about Chris Ray or just anyone else?

Mota was awesome. 1 2/3 innings of perfect pitching to close out the game. Keep doin' that.

Burrell stole the show, but Barry Zito had himself a game. In 7 innings he gave up just 3 hits and 1 ER while striking out 6. His control was spot on all day, with the exception of the pitch to Blake. Anyway, Zito didn't get the win because the runs came too late, but he looked really, really good today.

Obviously the Trade Deadline was today. Look out for our Giants Trade Deadline Review very soon!

Barry Zito only asks to get to 10 wins. Just 10 wins, guys!!!

Game Recap: FLA 4, SF 3

It's interesting that even when the Giants are hot, they never go on winning streaks. Even during this stretch where they've won 16 of 21 games, their longest winning streak has been 5 games. Maybe that's a good thing because it means they've been consistently good. But tonight, they were not very good and it was mostly the fault of the offense.

Specifically, the offense was terrible in the first 6 innings, never even getting close to scoring a run. Ricky Nolasco shut them down. But as soon as Nolasco came out of the game and I tweeted this, magic was in the air. Aaron Rowand came in to pinch hit for Travis Ishikawa, which seemed like a questionable move to me, but he proceeded to hit a two-run homer to cut the Marlins lead down to 3-2. Let me break it down for you: Aaron Rowand saved the day. Amazing. The Giants were still losing, but there was hope.

Unfortunately, the bullpen was not very good again. In the top of the 8th inning, Guillermo Mota allowed a run scoring double, giving the Marlins a 4-2 lead. It'd be nice to solve that problem. Soon.

In the bottom of the 9th inning the Giants tried really hard to come back, but ultimately failed. Andres Torres grounded out to bring a run home, but then up came Edgar Renteria. Up to that point in the game he had been 0-for-4 with 2 K's. Well, he struck out to end the game with a runner on 3rd, so make that 0-for-5 with 3 K's. Ouch.

Barry Zito didn't pitch great: 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER with 1 BB and 3 K's. But he wasn't terrible either, and when a pitcher only allows 3 runs through 6 innings, a good offense will get that pitcher the win. You've gotta feel a little bad for the guy, and Zito's hard luck continued as he fell to 8-6.

A win would've been extra sweet tonight because not many teams have beaten the guy who is pitching for the Marlins tomorrow. Josh Johnson has a 1.61 and a WHIP under 1 and he is the leading contender for the Cy Young Award this year (screw Ubaldo Jimenez). Fortunately for San Francisco Giants fans everywhere, 8thInningWeirdness will be at the game tomorrow night and we have an impeccable W-L record. Believe it. Even though it's not true.

Game Recap: LA 2, SF 0

I thought you had changed, Giants offense. You really made me believe that our relationship had improved. Sure, you've gotten a little better, but every once in a while you mess up, and tonight you disappointed me. You're sleeping on the couch tonight.

This game was absolutely brutal to watch. The offense never got anything going against Chad Billingsley, and the Giants didn't score enough to support Barry Zito's fantastic start, an all too familiar story. Zito almost pitched a complete game loss, going 7 1/3 IP, allowing just 6 H and 2 ER. The only flaw in his performance was a home run allowed to Casey Blake in the 2nd inning on a curveball down and in. His other ER scored when Sergio Romo came in and allowed a single, scoring the a runner that Zito was still responsible for. It's always maddening for Giants fans to watch a starting pitcher go without run support and Barry Zito was clearly frustrated as well.

Some could argue that Chad Billingsley deserves credit for a great pitching performance, but I'm not buying it. It's very possible that I just refuse to acknowledge any accomplishment from a Dodger, and if that's the case, I'm okay with it. Sure, he was good, but he got a lot of help from the Giants, who looked like their old selves tonight. They were impatient and constantly swinging at bad pitches, while going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

The series in Arizona is not going to be easy. The Diamondbacks are in last place and 19.5 GB of first place in the NL West, but if you'll remember, things didn't exactly go well the last time the Giants visited Chase Field. Our pitchers were terrible and the Diamondbacks always have some dangerous power hitters. We'll need a better performance this time if the Giants want to stay near the top of the division.

Even with the loss tonight, it was a good series, taking 2 of 3 from the Dodgers in LA. Boy, a swept would've been satisfying though.