Stuff about things...

I'm glad all my new Twinkie brethren enjoyed my Target Field review. I'd go back any time...

As for our Giants, well, things are looking pretty okay and good, and not too shabby.

Heading into the series at Chavez Latrine, the Gyros are riding a streak in which they've prevailed in 9 of 11 games, stemming from their pre-all star dismantling of the Brew Crew, and taking 2 of 3 from the Nats.

The horrendous blown call by Phil Cuzzi notwithstanding, the Giants had an amazing series against the competent Mets. Sure there wasn't too much offense going on until Saturday, but it's the results that count. If nothing else, the G-Men are riding high again-- confident, loose, and rested.

More importantly, it appears as though 3 of the most important Giants are getting back on track: Timmy, Zeets, and Kung Fu.

Timmy's shutout is something that is the most impressive. Most of the year, he's been just a top 20 pitcher, when we're used to him being anything from the best to the third best in the world.

Despite the fact that we all would've loved to have seen Big Time Timmy Jim throw gas in Anaheim, I have to imagine that the time off to get shitfaced with other major league goofballs in SoCal was like a sweet vacation for him.

This vacation also allowed Zeets to get his head together and to recapture the control he has enjoyed most of the first half of the season. Zito's 10K performance on the heels of his upsetting premature departure in Milwaukee, is something that will serve him well heading into the ultra-important second half.

Most importantly though, this Mets series had an unexpected visitor: Pablo Sandoval.

Oh, nice to see you again Mr. Panda. How nice of you to join us! We've been expecting you for some time now. Did you find the place alright? Did you get lost on the way to 2010? Sorry. Sometimes Bochy--our housekeeper-- gives bad directions. Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Rack of lamb?

So much about Pablo has been wrong this season, to the point where his sudden sign of life during this most recent series actually prevented me from writing this:

I'm sorry to say, but Pablo Sandoval has proved incompetent, and in order to salvage his season, he has to be sent to the minors, just in the way that Jeff Francoeur and Chris Davis have been sent down. It is a shame and...


I'm just glad that I didn't have to write that. However one series does not save a season. It may just be a temporary show of confidence/competence. On the other hand, it looks like something may have clicked for him. I saw a Panda this weekend that was waiting on balls to actually reach the plate before swinging. I saw a guy who wasn't hitting every single contacted ball from his front foot. I saw a guy who drove the ball hitting right handed.

Did someone take my advice and start slipping ritalin or adderall into his horchata?

Regardless, Kung Fu is hitting .500 in the young post ASB era with an unheard of 2 extra base hits and 4 RBI. Before this series, Pablo's last XBH was on June 19th. Yes. That was literally a month ago. Imagine if he hadn't have hit those two doubles in the Mets series. Could you really justify keeping a guy in the lineup who was incapable of getting more than a single?

The bumps in the road are not over for Sandoval, who seems petty enough to be able to forget about things he has done recently. For Pablo, his ability to forget or disregard past failures is both a blessing and a curse.

It is a blessing in this case, because his slump could be a thing of the past, almost as if it never happened. It is this happy-go-lucky attitude and way of life that both upsets us and endears him to us as fans.

More importantly, all this insane talk about dealing Jonathan Sanchez for Corey Hart or some other dude could be averted. The beauty about Pablo Sandoval is that he could be the hitter that we have been saying we needed. After adding Burrell and Huff this season, we shouldn't have to add another player. Sandoval was supposed to be a cornerstone and consistent building block already in place enhanced by the presence of Huff and Burrell.

Instead it's been the opposite. With the pitching staff solidified and returning to its true form, Pablo Sandoval is currently and will be the key to the rest of the season from here on out.

Coming in second place as the key absolutely has to be Bruce Bochy, who continues to upset fans by playing Aaron Rowand at all, inexplicably carrying 13 pitchers, and refusing to utilize Nate Schierholtz at all. I am not as anti-Renteria as I was earlier this season because at least the man is taking quality at bats, and is not the automatic out that Rowand and Sandoval have been all season.

The moves Bochy makes are simply inexplicable to anyone paying attention. Baseball is a game where a manager can use any reason he wants to do anything he wants. It could be anything from, "Rowie has always hit well against this guy" to "Well Schierholtz is 25 and left handed, so how could he possibly be any good?"

It simply drives us nuts, and I truly believe that the Giants have won 9 of 11 IN SPITE of Bochy, not because of Bochy. He's a consistent issue that simply shouldn't exist. This team has enough problems without this lumbering buffoon meddling it its success.

With that said... BEAT LA!

Gut check time: the first of many

Wow, Sunday really sucked. I mean, really, really sucked.

There we were, just cruising along, thoroughly enjoying another gem by Zeets, shutting out the Blue Bastards on the field and shutting up the criminals in the stands at the same time. Then, just like that, we were punched in the gut. It wasn't even a normal punch in the gut, it was a sucker punch, totally out of nowhere. Just like that, the game was over. We were still left breathless and confused, just like at the end of the Sharks game last night. It's like, are you effing kidding me? A bottom of the 8th pinch hit dong by The One Who Shall Not Be Named, followed by a hockey playoff game where we outshoot the opposition 50-16, and end up scoring the only goal of the game on ourselves in overtime?

Sunday, April 18th, was one of the worst Bay Area sports days in recent memory.

As for the Giants, this first Padres game represents the first true challenge of the year. Until the Dodger series, where we easily could've swept, there has been little to no adversity in this young 2010 season. As the video below (at 1:08) will reinforce, the Giants were indeed "Drivin' along, drivin' along", until we hit a truck tire in the middle of the road." Let's just hope we bought our brake pads from Callahan Auto instead of the other guys.



As we know, how a team rebounds from sucker punches, and the fashion in which they respond to injuries dictates how far they go. Mental toughness, resolve, and a short memory are all huge parts of a successful baseball team, especially because it is one long-ass haul.

With Rowand on the DL with those pesky facial fractures, DeRosa's tender hammy, and Romo's confidence shaken, the San Diego series will be huge.

It's not so much what we've lost in Rowand, but how we'll replace him, and how we're able to keep chugging along. Monday in San Diego, it will be the Geno Velez show, and I assume Schierholtz and Torres as well against the lefty Clayton Richard.

Velez has been a huge surprise with his hitting thus far. The guy affectionately known as A.U., Geno, The Somali Pirate, and the Pharaoh has 4 extra base hits, 7 RBI, and hitting .350. Not only that, but the guy has taken a few walks, and is sporting a stat nerd-arousing .435 on base percentage. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm comfortable with A.U. playing every day until Rowand returns.

Back to the Dodgers series for a minute.

The fact that no Dodger was drilled is totally unacceptable. Whether that waste of life known as Vicente Padilla intentionally drilled Rowand in the head is beside the point. It's baseball etiquette. You hit one of our guys, we hit one of yours. Hell, even throw it totally behind them, and if it's a close game, hit them the next day. I was wholly shocked that Zito, who plunked Prince Fielder in spring, didn't nail Matt Kemp or that jerkoff Casey Blake during Sunday's game.

If the plunked Dodger became enraged, began gesturing wildly towards the mound while spewing expletives and the benches cleared, that's what I refer to as a team-building exercise. Even without a brawl, any "Us Versus Them" activity breeds unity, and it no longer becomes about retaliation, but about trust in one another and the bigger purpose of survival as one unit.

Try finding a stat for that.

Despite technically dropping two of three from the Doyers, I still saw a ton of character from these guys in each game. As I said before, there's something different about this team, and I no longer believe we're ever out of a game-- not like last year.

Let's plow through San Diago and get back on track!

Quick note: BOCHY! FREE JOHN BOWKER! LET THE GUY PLAY! HOW WILL HE EVER HIT LEFTIES IF YOU NEVER LET HIM TRY! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASSSSEEEE!

So far, pretty damn good

So? Whaddaya think?

Was all my (and possibly your) optimism unfounded? Things are clicking, and this team appears to have left Scottsdale ready to deal and rake.

And yes, I did predict the sweep of the Astros right here.

The Astros are not exactly a stiff test, but what they've been to the Giants is twofold. Firstly, they were a perfect team to warm up against without being a real threat. Secondly, they provided an opportunity to last year's stiffs and this year's hopefuls to get off on the right frickin foot.

Even more so than Aaron Rowand, Edgar Renteria's scorching start has to be taken seriously. While Row had a few hits and ribeye steaks in Wednesday's finale, we all know that his lack of discipline and approach at the plate leaves us all uneasy... seemingly constantly. Renteria, on the other hand, excites me.

Last season was unacceptable on so many fronts for the Colombian vet. It was just so inexcusable that he was allowed to play so terribly for so long last year when management knew he was injured.

For what it's worth though, he deserves "gamer points" for playing hurt, never once speaking to the media about it, and doing his best. Gamer points or not though, he still has a lot to prove to Giants fans who at this point still have him in their crosshairs.

In this opening series we appear to have seen the old Edgar Renteria-- as opposed to the "Old Balls" Renteria of '09. In the past three days, I've seen flashes of the guy who has four .300+ average seasons under his belt. And hell, I've even seen some solid defense from him.

We'd all love to have a guaranteed beast out there at SS and in the second spot, but we all know that Rich Aurilia circa 2001 is not walking through that door. What we potentially have here is an aged version of the 2007 Edgar Renteria, who hit .332.

Trust me, that's miles better than the antique version we got in '09.

I know it's optimistic, but hell, why can't I be? The guy went 5-5 on Wednesday, and appears to be totally healthy. Honestly, he looks nothing like the player we knew.

And let's keep in mind that we shouldn't be discriminatory in our optimism either. Many of us keep saying, "Well Aubrey Huff is only one year removed from a huge season."

I know I've said that...

Well, Edgar is two years removed from a huge season. Hey, just saying...

The other aspects of the team speak for themselves. I really don't see a need right now to comment too much on the pitching. Lincey is a monst. HurriCAIN Matt is a stud (shame he got the ND though), and Brian Wilson looks like he's trying to commit involuntary manslaughter out there with his fastball.

The one guy who really deserves plaudits thrown his way is Barry Zito. I'm allllmost the point where I'm taking his excellent starts for granted... as if it would be unusual for him to suck.

Lest we forget that he's been garbage early in the previous three seasons for us (in addition to other parts of the season too!). With this in mind, getting 6 shutout innings from Zeets is like melting cheese over the entire team, it just makes it SO. GODDAMN. GOOD.

(Even with those asinine striped socks...)

Anyway, I hope you all make it out to one of the Atlanta games this weekend, crank the John Fogerty, Kenny Rogers, and Alabama, and start to get fired up...

...because I think we are in for one epic season here boys and girls!.

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Notes & Thoughts

-- Atta boy Johnny Bowker. The guy appears to be for real. And who told you so?

-- Good to see the bench guys like A.U. Velez, Whiteside, Schierholtz, and Ishikawa contribute. Good to get 'em all off the schneid at once.

-- Looks like we're going to see a pattern of defensive replacements every 7th inning if we have a lead. Ishikawa takes over for Huff at 1B and Schierholtz takes over in RF for Bowker. The move I don't understand is A.U. Velez taking over for DeRosa in LF. Yes, he's faster, but is The Pharaoh a better outfielder? Really friggin questionable. However, I do like the "WE PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!" approach by Bochy to take zero chances of losing any games because of defense. Hey if we had won 4 or 5 more games last year, that woulda meant playoffs.

-- Sammy Gervacio sucks at life. His little "Voodoo/Santeria priest at an animal sacrifice ceremony" bit is already old, and I'm almost glad that he had to leave the game on Wednesday with an apparent shoulder injury. It's unacceptable to do that crap out there, and the act is not appreciated by the opposition let alone his own team.

Think about it. If you're the Astros, you've got some cocky punk out there doing a street performer bit before every pitch? You're not going to come sprinting to the guy's side when an opposing player finally tells him to knock it off.

That crap isn't baseball. Go back to the Dominican League if you want to dance around like a jerk. That doesn't fly up here. If you cannot see this video above, click here.

Also, check out my interview with the Astros' Bud Norris if you haven't already done so. Come on, how many fan blogs get to talk to real major leaguers? Haha.

Let's hope Hollywood Norris can stop the Astros' skid against Philly on Friday.

MLB Extra Innings is on a free preview, so you can watch ANY GAME YOU WANT! IT'S MAGICAL!

Why would you leave Howry in? C'mon Boch!

What a frustrating loss!

Cain throws an absolute gem, and we let the game get away in 10.

Of course the Gyros' continual lack of execution with runners on base killed us, but in the end, it was a foolish Dusty Baker-eque managerial decision that sealed the deal.

It's not all on Bochy of course, but all of us in Giants Nation feel like Bobby Howry is THE LEAST trustworthy arm in our pen.

Every time Lurch Howry manages to pitch a scoreless inning, we all breathe a sigh of relief. We don't feel that way with Affeldt, Miller, or even Romo and Medders.

I swear to you on my life, I groaned aloud and wondered why Howry was still in the game to pitch a second inning. I bet you all did too. I could feel the uncertainty and was talking to myself the whole time. It seemed inevitable. Then of course, wide-eyed rookie Drew Stubbs, who had a silver sombrero going, crushed a ball into left field.

I wanted to throw out a few musings on the last two games though...

-- Zito pitched one helluva game on Wednesday. I had my misgivings about it. All the signs were there for a less than stellar outing. As you may have read in this article by my colleague PJ, Zito's numbers when working with Bengie Molina are far worse than when he works with any other catcher. That was strike one. Strike two of course is the bandbox known as Great American Ballpark, where balls fly out toward the Ohio River constantly. But, Zeets bucked the trend and threw 6 strong shutout innings.

Perhaps if Zeets had been given the opportunity to work another inning, Howry wouldn't have been called upon to pitch two on Thursday.

-- Not sure why I never noticed this, but Bronson Arroyo's bizzare leg kick reminds me of a pirate. He literally kicks his erect leg straight up and out, like a 2x4 attached to his thorax. I almost pulled my hammy and butt muscles just thinking about doing it...

-- In the second inning on Wednesday, Arroyo struck out Edgar Renteria on three pitches. To call them offspeed is being generous. 66mph, 74, and 76 consecutively on the radar gun. Grab some pine, meat.

-- Bengie Molina walked TWICE on Tuesday... STOP THE PRESSES.

-- Despite Garko's ofer on Thursday, he seems to be heating up. We'll need that in Denver.

-- Oh yeah... great graphic on CSN on Wednesday... The Giants lead MLB in shutouts with 16. The next closest team? Cincy with 11. We're kicking ass.

-- Krukow was in rare form in this series. I'm seriously thinking of compiling a book of "Krukowisms" or "Krookisms". Don't steal my idea, I think this means its copyrighted.

On Matt Cain's multiple bloop hits allowed:

"(Cain) is leaving some of his brain on the broken bat singles"

and of course...

About Jonny Gomes's aggressive approach:

"That's a yank-hack... he's trying to lift and separate."

Love that guy!

-- This Denver series is huge, and will play a huge part in whether Los Gigantes can hang in the Wild Card race. We're currently back 2 games of the Rockpile...

A sweep of course would put us in the lead by two games, with 2 out of 4 bringing us keeping us at the status quo. (God I sound like Tim McCarver... sorry)

Of course if we get swept... we'd be back 6 games. Though not totally insurmountable... that would be absolutely devastating. This is where it counts, boys...

We've got The Spaniard, Money Martinez, and Timmy going against Colorado with Zeets pulling up the rear. Let's do this.

-- ESPN has decided to cover the NL West! Tim Kurkjian (my favorite Armenian sportswriter!) wrote an article about the SF/COL race. The headline is "Giants don't have the bats to keep up with the Rockies".

Well, that may be true on paper, but they don't have the arms to compete with us. We can shut them down in their own yard.

Jay Mariotti and Tim Cowlishaw were slobbering all over the Giants on Around the Horn yesterday. I like it.

Let's kick ass and take names.