As the All Star breaks looms closer, things seem bleak for the San Francisco Giants. If we lose tomorrow, that will be six in a row, being swept by the Dodgers and the Rockies. From there, The Giants will be meeting up with the Reds, the Dodgers, the Mets, and the Padres. I projected a pitching matchup that may not make Giants fans happy as well. Matt Harvey and Barry Zito face off in the first of the three game series.
Maybe as a fan, you can say that the schedule doesn’t matter at this point. The offense is abysmal, the fielding has been awful, and the bullpen is struggling although much of that had to do with the starting pitching, which up until a few weeks ago was not giving the bullpen quality starts.
Like it or not, a great bullpen is well rested. As long as the starting pitching can go at least 7 innings, then the bullpen can finish strong. Going five or six innings isn’t going to do the job.
It doesn’t help that Angel Pagan is out until September. It doesn’t help that Sandoval is struggling not only with his bat but with his weight again. Not sure if we can say that Kickham is ready yet and Gaudlin has not gone the distance. Can we say that Lincecum is showing improvement compared to last year? You could say yes but the question is whether he will be tested by tougher teams. The Braves batters strike out a lot. He showed signs of pitching well against the Dodgers until the sixth inning although Hector Sanchez didn’t help his cause.
We can look at the numbers all we want and then say yes, there is time because the division is bunched up and at some point, the Giants will come around. We say that they’re fortunate that they’re four games out. Yet we can also sink to the bottom before the All Star Break.
As a fan, I think you have to look at the whole picture. It’s fun to watch a team run away with the division as the Nasty Nats did last year. The Phillies, who got off to a horrible start without key players such as Chase Utley and Ryan Howard still contended for the second wild card spot.
No matter how you look at your teams today, things can change in a heartbeat. The Blue Jays won 11 in a row, tightening that division. The Dodgers have won 7-10, making our division a five team race.
Vogey should be back by the second half but like Lincecum, there are questions about whether he can go six innings as well. If anything, it seems justified that Sabean needs to make a move to get another pitcher such as Bud Norris and Ricky Nolasco, if not both. We can say that another hitter can turn our team around but we tried that in 2011 with Carlos Beltran and look at what happened.
In the end, as fans, we started the beginning of the season in hopes of seeing another World Series. Last year, I thought that we would not make it, yet we did come back and beat the Reds and the Cardinals. Then we swept the Tigers.
This team has faced adversity in the past and came out on top. One winning streak can change everything. There is hope when Cain and Bum are pitching at the top of their game. We may have some good pitching by the other starters but if we’re going to win, it will be on our offense to do that. Scoring one or two runs isn’t enough. We have to do more than that even if Bud Norris and Ricky Nolasco are pitching for us by the second half.
As fans, other teams may say that we’re spoiled but we want another world series. If it doesn’t happen, then there will be changes. In any case, the Giants will have their work cut out for them in replacing Lincecum, Zito, and Vogey.
Speaking for myself, I’ve been a Giants fan for 11 years now. I’ve seen one team in New York that let its fan base down tremendously. I know what it is to see a winning team that is lead by good management. The Giants have that and more. We’ll make mistakes but somehow, I’ll be behind them in good and bad times. We don’t go out there and buy the big names like the Dodgers and Angels do yet somehow, we get a great homegrown team built with talented players from other teams and that’s what counts. It’s a great reason to be a Giants fan.
It would be good to see another year in the playoffs and the World Series. No point in giving up yet. 162 games is a long season. If it doesn’t happen, then it’s back to the 49ers and the Sharks and hope for a better season next year.
Rick Holman
Maybe as a fan, you can say that the schedule doesn’t matter at this point. The offense is abysmal, the fielding has been awful, and the bullpen is struggling although much of that had to do with the starting pitching, which up until a few weeks ago was not giving the bullpen quality starts.
Like it or not, a great bullpen is well rested. As long as the starting pitching can go at least 7 innings, then the bullpen can finish strong. Going five or six innings isn’t going to do the job.
It doesn’t help that Angel Pagan is out until September. It doesn’t help that Sandoval is struggling not only with his bat but with his weight again. Not sure if we can say that Kickham is ready yet and Gaudlin has not gone the distance. Can we say that Lincecum is showing improvement compared to last year? You could say yes but the question is whether he will be tested by tougher teams. The Braves batters strike out a lot. He showed signs of pitching well against the Dodgers until the sixth inning although Hector Sanchez didn’t help his cause.
We can look at the numbers all we want and then say yes, there is time because the division is bunched up and at some point, the Giants will come around. We say that they’re fortunate that they’re four games out. Yet we can also sink to the bottom before the All Star Break.
As a fan, I think you have to look at the whole picture. It’s fun to watch a team run away with the division as the Nasty Nats did last year. The Phillies, who got off to a horrible start without key players such as Chase Utley and Ryan Howard still contended for the second wild card spot.
No matter how you look at your teams today, things can change in a heartbeat. The Blue Jays won 11 in a row, tightening that division. The Dodgers have won 7-10, making our division a five team race.
Vogey should be back by the second half but like Lincecum, there are questions about whether he can go six innings as well. If anything, it seems justified that Sabean needs to make a move to get another pitcher such as Bud Norris and Ricky Nolasco, if not both. We can say that another hitter can turn our team around but we tried that in 2011 with Carlos Beltran and look at what happened.
In the end, as fans, we started the beginning of the season in hopes of seeing another World Series. Last year, I thought that we would not make it, yet we did come back and beat the Reds and the Cardinals. Then we swept the Tigers.
This team has faced adversity in the past and came out on top. One winning streak can change everything. There is hope when Cain and Bum are pitching at the top of their game. We may have some good pitching by the other starters but if we’re going to win, it will be on our offense to do that. Scoring one or two runs isn’t enough. We have to do more than that even if Bud Norris and Ricky Nolasco are pitching for us by the second half.
As fans, other teams may say that we’re spoiled but we want another world series. If it doesn’t happen, then there will be changes. In any case, the Giants will have their work cut out for them in replacing Lincecum, Zito, and Vogey.
Speaking for myself, I’ve been a Giants fan for 11 years now. I’ve seen one team in New York that let its fan base down tremendously. I know what it is to see a winning team that is lead by good management. The Giants have that and more. We’ll make mistakes but somehow, I’ll be behind them in good and bad times. We don’t go out there and buy the big names like the Dodgers and Angels do yet somehow, we get a great homegrown team built with talented players from other teams and that’s what counts. It’s a great reason to be a Giants fan.
It would be good to see another year in the playoffs and the World Series. No point in giving up yet. 162 games is a long season. If it doesn’t happen, then it’s back to the 49ers and the Sharks and hope for a better season next year.
Rick Holman