Giants demolish Reds I'm still not sure I'm back on the Bandwagon

GIANTS 11 - REDS 2

Oh you Giants.  You are like the sexy girlfriend who I just can't leave no matter how bad she makes me feel.  Just when you do something to me to make me think that I am done with you for the season, you lay the smack down on a team, a first place team no less, and you lay it down good.

But I have been hurt too many times to come running back.  Sure you started the season with a 5 game winning streak, but then the Dodgers and the Padres came to town.  They whipped the crap out of you so bad that you could only muster one win against the two teams in the span of 6 games.  Then you battled admirably and were right back in the thick of things.

But then there was that 7 game losing streak.

It looked like it was the beginning of the end.  The Giants weren't hitting, they weren't pitching, and they were 7 games out of first place.  With the lack of offense this team was displaying who in their right mind would think that this team had a chance in hell of making some noise come August?

Then came the trade to send Molina packing and make Buster Posey the full time catcher.  This led to an amazing July.  The Giants scored more runs and won more games than any team in all of baseball.  Hell they even swept the Dodgers.

Then August started.  A tough road trip through Colorado and Atlanta got the month off to a bad start, a home series with the Cubs was a little harder than it needed to be and then the Padres came to town again.

The emotions ran the gamut in the series with the Padres.  From a frustrating 3-2 loss in game one, to an amazing, come-from-behind extra inning win in the second game that had us thinking the corner had been turned, and finally an embarrassing 8-2 ass whipping at the hands of the same Padres.

Things got worse in Philly but you were able to ride a great performance from Jonathan Sanchez to an impressive win.  This was followed by another great effort from the youngest player on the team, Madison Bumgarner, and hope started to blossom.  But that hoped was quickly squashed by Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia.  Hell, even the Buster Posey Rookie of the Year odds took a huge blow from the complete game 3 hitter that Garcia twirled.

So, I refuse to get excited over one game.  I refuse to be excited that Aubrey Huff, Buster Posey, Freddy Sanchez, and Pablo Sandoval all had multi-hit games.  I refuse to be elated over the fact that Matt Cain showed us why he is the best pitcher on the Giants staff this season not named Brian Wilson.  I refuse to take heart in the way the Giants showed a team who had won 8 of the last 10 who the real contender is .

But come Friday I could be excited again.

While you are waiting for tomorrow's showdown between Jonathan Sanchez and Travis Wood , take a minute to go and read Aubrey Huff's blog.

I'll bet you a dollar it brings a tear to your eye.

Cain a two time All-Star?

Giants 3 Reds 0

With just about a month to go until the All-Star game it is apparent that Matt Cain is the Giants best pitcher right now.  Sure Tim Lincecum gets all the pub, but the numbers just don't lie.  The only thing that Lincecum has on Cain is his W-L record. (5-2 for Timmy, 5-4 for Matty) well and his strikeouts.  But,with the exception of one start in San Diego in which he gave up 5 runs, he has allowed 3 ERs or less in all 12 of his starts this season.  He only allowed 3 earnies in 2 other games besides the San Diego game.  (he did give up 4 runs against the Astros in his first start of the season but only 3 of those were earned.)  He could easily be 8-1, if you just wanna chalk up the games he allowed 2 runs or less as wins and the others as losses he could be 9-3. (remember he gave up 1 unearned run in a complete game against Oakland and was still tagged with a loss)  Any way you look at it, he is pitching at an All-Star level.

He proved that again tonight by shutting out the highest scoring offense in the NL.  It was only the 5th time in 600 games at the Great American Ballpark that has happened.  The solo HR by Juan Uribe, who is becoming one of my favorite Giants, was all the offense the Giants really needed tonight but the Giants did manage to get 2 insurance runs in the 8th inning. 

Freddy Sanchez was held hitless tonight snapping his hitting streak after 11 games.  But don't worry because another Giant has a hitting streak of his own.  The force of nature that is Buster Posey has hit in 7 straight.

Lots of other Giants stuff going on tonight:

Of course we had day 2 of the draft and the Giants selected 3 more CFs bringing their total of Centerfielders drafted to 4 so you gotta wonder what that means for Aaron Rowand.  Most of them can fly from what I understand so maybe the Giants have just decided to go with small ball as an organizational philosophy.  I'm not going to act like I know anything about any of the guys the Giants drafted, but there is a lot of info on them in the article that I linked in this paragraph.

On the Farm:

John Bowker may be the ultimate 4A player or he may be a guy who, like Fred Lewis is turning out to be,  just needs to play somewhere else in order to realize his potential.  he went 3 for 4 with a HR tonight in a 2-1 loss for the Fresno Grizzlies against the Sacramento River Cats.  (Is it just me or do the Grizzlies play the River Cats ALL THE TIME?)  Eric Hacker may have righted what was wrong after 3 subpar outings by throwing 6.1 innings and only giving up an unearned run.  He also had 6ks and held the River Cats to just 4 hits.

Hmmm do you think the White Sox may be interested in a trade that includes John Bowker and Eric Hacker for Paul Konerko???  Maybe throw in a Kevin Pucetas or a Joe Martinez?  If the Giants do make a move regarding Konerko they had better make it soon because he is going to be more valuable as the trading deadline nears and more teams realize they need a big bat or if a star gets injured.

Madison Bumgarner apologized and was fined for his temper tantrum the other night but the biggest news was Bochy's possible Freudian slip regarding Madbum in which he said that the lefty was "real close" to a promotion and he wasn't bothered by the outburst. "He's competitive," Bochy said. "We know that."  I wonder how close is "real close"  in the Bochster's book?  Although he did backpedal a little bit and say "If any moves are made, we'll do it when we feel it's the right time."

In other prospect news that surprised no one, well except for the Giants fans who seem to think he's out to get them, Brian Sabean said that the Giants have "No intentions" of sending Buster Posey back down to Fresno.

Nate watch:

Nate came in as a pinch runner for Pat Burrell in the 8th inning and scored a run.  he also had an at bat in the 9th with runners on second and third and 2 out and struck out to end the inning.  Effectively giving Bochy another piece of evidence to back up his "struggling" theory.

Oh and last, but not least, the Giants selected Bruce Bochy's son in the 20th round of the draft.  Teams do things like this a lot but once in a while it works out.  Anybody remember this guy named Mike Piazza?   He was drafted in the 62nd round as a favor to dad's lifelong friend Tommy Lasorda.  He turned out OK.  But I wouldn't hold my breath.

UUUURIBE!!!!!!!!!

GIANTS 6 - REDS 5

The Uribe family has cemented their spot in Giants history. 

Jose Uribe was a slick-fielding light-hitting Shortstop who spent 9 seasons with the Giants from 1985 through 1993 turning double plays with Robbie Thompson for their world series team in 1989 and was one of the most popular players on that Giants team.  Jose's nephew, Juan Uribe, was signed as a utility player last season and was expected to be a "super-utility" guy who could fill in anywhere and spot start every so often as needed.  Well that translated to 398 ABs in which he put up a .289 average and 16 HRs.  This season he has been the Giants best run producer.  He is on pace for 107 RBIs, he's got a .280 average, and he's already belted a team leading 8 HRs.  He looks funny, plays ugly, but he is one of the more popular players on the team and he mans the SS slot, 3B slot, LF slot and will probably even pitch if you needed him to.  Yes, the Uribes will be remembered by Giants fans for a long time.

Speaking of Juan Uribe, he had 4 RBIs in tonight's 6-5 victory over the Reds.  Barry Zito pitched OK considering the Reds are the league's top run scoring team.  He deserves to get the win for his bat as he opened the scoring in the game by blistering a 2 run single to left field.  Zito left the game trailing but the Giants were able to bail him out on the second of Uribe's 2 run singles.

There are a lot of positives to take away from this game.  Freddy Sanchez extended his hitting streak to 11 games, Buster Posey didn't look "lost" behind the plate, Juan Uribe's previously mentioned 4 RBIs, The Giants outscored the leagues highest scoring team, The team hit .500 with RISP by going 5 for 10, their bullpen shut the Reds out, and oh that Posey kid happened to get a hit for the 9th time in his first ten games. Two hits, as a matter of fact.

Down on the Farm:
Madison Bumgarner started tonight for Fresno so there is no way he will be pitching for the Giants on Thursday.  He got the win despite struggling through 6 1/3 innings and giving up 5 runs.  3 of those runs came on a homer.  John Bowker was 2 for 4 again and Mark DeRosa was not in the lineup.   I wasn't able to find any info on how his wrist is doing, but at this point, it seems that the 3 for 4 day the other day may have just been a fluke.

Nate watch:
Nate pinch hit in the 8th and struck out.  He stayed in for the 9th and had no chances.  It was a good thing that he came in and moved Torres to left because Torres made a grab that Pat Burrell would never make in a million years to rob Ramon Hernandez of extra bases.  Aaron Rowand Raised his average to .225 and left 3 men on base tonight. 

Notes:
The Giants selected Cal State Fullerton's Gary Brown with the 24th selection in the first round of the draft.  Baseball America said: "Gary Brown was hurt down the stretch and wasn't a consensus first-rounder. Some teams doubted his bat and feel for hitting. But he was 14th on BA's Top 200 with top-of-the-line speed and excellent defensive ability in center field, and Brown should be able to move quickly to San Francisco. He gives the Giants another position player prospect, an area the Giants have thrived in since John Barr took over as scouting director."  A more detailed scouting report can be seen here.

Also, MLB Traderumors and Buster Olney are reporting that the Chicago White Sox are ready to deal.  There are a bunch of intruiging guys on their roster but by far and away the best guy on their team is Paul Konerko.  the Giants can trade anything in their system except Posey, Madbum, Sandoval, and any Starter (well they can take Wellemeyer, please!)  They are loaded with quality arms and Konerko can play first while Posey catches and Huff plays in left.

Last, even though it's not really giants related there was a pretty good story on Jim Joyce that anybody who has followed the Armando Galarraga blown perfect game story at all HAS to read.

Freddy Sanchez is doin some work!

Giants 6 Pirates 5
Freddy Sanchez is on a ten game hitting streak.  During this streak he has easily been the Giants best hitter.  He's hitting .500 over those 10 games and seven of those games have been muli-hit games.  This is an example of a Brian Sabean trade gone right.   Before you think of arguing all of the potential lost in Alderson, consider that the Giants got an All-Star caliber player for a guy who projects to be an end-of the rotation pitcher at best.  Don't believe me?  His career minor league ERA is 3.49 and he only averages 5.9 K's per 9 IP. Sure, Sanchez was hurt to start the season, but he has practically carried the team since he's been back.  The additions of Sanchez and Buster Posey have transformed this offense dramatically from what it was two weeks ago.

Aubrey Huff was 1 for 3 with an RBI and he showed off his blazing speed while swiping 2 bags.  He is also another good move by Sabean.  Consider that he's only making $3 million this season and he has been one of the most consistent hitters on the club.  He's also provided us with some great quotes like he did on Friday night when he practically fell on his face while tracking down a fly ball out and left when after the game he quipped: "My athleticism allowed me to recover" and then “I was getting worn out by the fans for it. They were sauced tonight. It was pretty brutal. One guy asked if I need a walker.”  I think $3 million is worth the price of one-liners like that all season long!

Giants VS Reds

Big time road test coming up for the Giants.  They will be facing their old skipper in Dusty Baker, although Matt Cain is the only active Giant to have played for Dusty.  The Reds own one of the best offenses in the league and currently sport a 33-24 record which is good for a tie for the NL Central lead with the Cards.  The matchups are Barry Zito Vs. Johnny Cueto, Matt Cain Vs. some guy named Sam LeCure, Jonathan Sanchez Vs. Aaron Harang, and TBA Vs. Mike Leake.  The matchups seem to be in our favor for the most part.  None of the Reds Pitchers are very good even with Cueto's 5-1 record he is still sporting a 4.09 ERA and is coming off a start in which he allowed 10 earnies to the Cardinals.  This is his first start in his career Vs. the Giants. 

The most intriguing matchup in this whole series is on Thursday when TBA takes on Mike Leake.  Leake is the kid who completely skipped the minor leagues after being drafted out of Arizona State.  I'm interested in seeing this kid since it's not too often that guys skip the minors and almost unheard of among pitchers.  On the Giants side of things Mr. TBA is also intriguing.  Are the Giants gonna drag Todd Wellemeyer out to torture us, and I'm sure himself, again?   Are they going to call up one of their minor league guys?  If they bring up a minor league guy, who will it be?

Joe Martinez just threw a complete game the other night and only gave up one run.  Eric Hacker just came off of a horrible start where he gave up 6 earned runs in 5 IP which was also the third of 3 not too good starts in a row.  Kevin Pucetas has has been placed on the DL with an ankle sprain.. 

The Giants could also move Tim Lincecum up a day but I think they would rather stick hot coals down their pants than do that.  Also, Madison Bumgarner is scheduled to start tomorrow so if he is the guy, we will know it tomorrow because he would be unavailable for Thursday if he pitches tomorrow.

The most likely scenarios are either Joe Martinez or Wellemeyer.  A lot depends on how the first 3 games in the series play out so we probably won't know anything until Wednesday at the earliest unless Madbum doesn't pitch tomorrow.

On the farm:

The Grizzlies inproved their record to 37-20 with an 8-6 win over the Sacramento River Cats and have an incredible 11.5 game lead over the Cats.  They have been doing it more on offense than on pitching which is ironic when you consider the big club's offensive woes.

John Bowker was 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs.  Eugenio Velez belted 2 HRs and is hitting .333 so you can bet we will see him dropping more balls in the outfield again this season.  Brock Bond, who I think will be the Giants second baseman of the future, hit a HR and scored two runs.  Mark DeRosa did not play in what Giants Beat Writer Andrew Baggerly said on Twitter is a routine day off.  Still no word on the wrist.

Fun fact of the day:  Today's starters for Fresno Matt Kinney (0-2) and Sacramento John Halama (1-1), have combined for more Major League starts than Tim Lincecum and Jonathan Sanchez- 177 to 156, including Timmy's start this morning.

Nate watch:

Nate got in the game when he pinch ran for Posey in the 8th.  He drew a walk which gives him 5 walks in the last 10 games the Giants have played.  Of those 10 games, Nate has played in about 8 of them and he has only played more than an inning or two in about 3 of those.  Aaron Rowand has 5 walks all season.  However that Andrew Baggerly guy also reports that Bochy may be starting to get frustrated with Rowand.  Hopefully that means a couple of starts for Nate with Torres in center rather than going with Burrell in left, Torres in center, and Huff in right which would be the worst defensive outfield the Giants could possibly throw out there.