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Sweeney Sent To LA
2007-08-11 02:07:00
In the first trade between the Giants and Dodgers since 1985, the Giants sent Mark Sweeney to LA in exchange for a player to be named. This move makes all the sense in the world at this point for the Giants. Everybody likes Sweeney and he still is a valuable weapon to have on a bench, but he doesn't make a whole lot of sense with this Giants club. I actually had a chance to meet and talk with Sweeney a little bit during his time with the Giants and I don't think I've spoken with a nicer ballplayer. It's going to be tough seeing him in Dodger blue. He did good things here, but the Giants don't need a veteran pinch hitter, they need to get younger as fast as they can. I'm not expecting the Giants to receive a noteworthy prospect in this deal, but at the very least, this trade enables them to bring up a younger player and start giving them the at-bats that veterans have been getting. It looks like it's going to be Dan Ortmeier getting the call-up rather than Freddie Lewis which ...
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The King Stands Alone
2007-08-09 00:58:00
Barry Bonds Home Run #756August 7th, 2007 is a day I, along with many baseball fans, will never forget. Barry Lamar Bonds has finally passed the great Hank Aaron and has moved into first place on the all-time home run list. Number 756 was hit in typical Bonds fashion, a majestic shot over the right center field wall that stands 419 feet away from home plate, 5 rows deep into the bleachers. I have had the privilege to watch Bonds closely ever since he dawned a Giants' uniform for the first time in 1993 and he has provided me with numerous memories that I will never forget and on Tuesday night he added one more to the bank. Congratulations Barry Bonds, I have never seen an athlete dominate their sport the way you have done baseball over the last 15 years, and you deserve this. I want to pay my respects to Hank Aaron for the message he sent Bonds after the home run was hit. In my last post I bashed Aaron about how distant he made himself from this record chase, but he showed true clas...
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Bonds Getting Praise
2007-08-07 23:51:00
Through all of this controversy surrounding Barry Bonds and the steroid era as well as the home run record, a few of American sports' biggest icons have stepped forth and shown their support for Bonds. A few weeks back, right after Bonds hit home run number 754, Michael Jordan sent a video message to Barry that was played on the big screen at AT&T Park. Jordan essentially wished Bonds the best and said how happy he was for him. Then, last night before the Giants-Nationals game, a video was shown of the great Muhammad Ali congratulating Bonds on 755 and giving Bonds a double thumbs up. I'm sure Bonds had to find those messages very reassuring. For all the hate he's received in recent years, it has to feel good to know that two of the biggest stars in the world are behind him 100%. It also makes me wonder about Hank Aaron. It's no secret that Aaron isn't happy that Bonds is the guy who is going to break his record, but the fact that Aaron wants no part of this guy, while Michael ...
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#755
2007-08-06 00:25:00
Barry Bonds finally matched the most glorified record in all of sports on Saturday night, and I must say, it's about time. What people predicted would happen in late June finally came to fruition on August 4, 2007. And like most of Bonds' milestone shots, this one was a no doubter. He went opposite field off the facing of the second deck in one of the most difficult places in all of baseball to hit a home run. Clay Hensley served up the historic shot and became the 465th different pitcher that Barry Bonds has taken deep. It is actually kind of fitting that Bonds did it in San Diego, against a team in which he's hit 1/8 of his total career home runs against. And after all the dominance he's had over the Padres, the fans were still embracing after they realized what they had just witnessed. I expected the boos to heavily outweigh the cheers, but that wasn't the case. It was actually the opposite and the crowd in San Diego gave Bonds a standing ovation and a lot of them where show...

Sanchez Should Start
2007-08-03 02:05:00
With the trade of Matt Morris, it opens up a spot in the Giants starting rotation. With the way the season has gone, and since the team is so far out of the playoff race, I think it makes a lot of sense to let Jonathon Sanchez take Morris' spot for rest of the year. Sanchez showed some potential when he got a few spot starts last year and I think it's time he gets a chance to start this year. He has been pretty inconsistent in the bullpen so far but has always seemed to pitch well when he gets stretched out and gets into a rhythm. I was a little surprised when the Giants sent Pat Misch down to make some starts in Fresno rather then sending Sanchez. Misch had dominated this year in Fresno as a reliever and pitched terrifically in his short time with the Giants in that same role. I don't see the logic in tinkering with Misch, especially when the Giants are in need of bullpen help. I have little doubt that Misch could be doing a better job than Jack Taschner right now and that's wh...
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Morris Sent to Pittsburgh
2007-08-01 03:37:00
Matt Morris got traded Tuesday, just as everyone had suspected, but I don't know if anyone could have told you he would have been going to the Pittsburg h Pirates. When I first saw the headline, "Morris A Pirate", I thought maybe, just maybe the Giants could have pulled something off here and stolen one of the Pirates many up and coming bats such as Adam LaRoche or Xavier Nady, but then I remembered that this is Brian Sabean and not John Shuerholtz. Instead of a solid young bat, or even a promising prospect, the Giants got a guy who is a little too old to be dubbed a prospect and hasn't done anything at the big league level. Rajai Davis has always been a speedster as he's swiped 40 or more bags in his 4 full seasons he's spent in the minors, but has showed little else. Sounds to me a lot like Freddie Lewis without the bat. I know the whole objective was to get rid of Matt Morris' salary and try and get what you can in return, but I just can't stop thinking about what Morris cou...

History In the Making
2007-07-28 21:58:00
The Giants won their 3rd straight game on Friday and overcame another bad outing by their overpaid, so called ace. Nobody was talking about the win after the game though. Barry Bonds is now one home run away from claiming a share of the Major League Baseball home run record. Bonds hit a long jack in the first inning of Friday nights and then was walked 4 consecutive times after that. I think it's pretty apparent that nobody on that Florida staff wanted to be the one to give up number 755 and I don't really blame them. Barry looked locked in yesterday and he looks focused on not just breaking the record, but trying to turn this season around a bit for the Giants. I think it's going to be very interesting to see how pitchers go about pitching Bonds now that every home run he hits' from here on out will be part of history. This is one of the most (if not the most) recognized record in all of sports and I'm sure no pitcher in the game wants to have his name in the record books as b...
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Trade Deadline Approaching
2007-07-26 00:53:00
The Giants where shut down by the Braves for 8 2/3 innings on Tuesday night before finally breaking through in the 9th inning by scoring 4 runs to send the game to extra innings. Even though they went on to loose in extra innings, the team showed some life in that ninth inning that I haven't really seen with this bunch all year. Matt Morris also turned in his best start of July (which didn't take much) going 6 innings and giving up 4 runs on 8 hits and maybe put a little stock back in his trade value. It has been widely mentioned throughout the internet sites and sports media that Matt Morris is one of the top starting pitchers available on the market and the other names available don't come close to Morris' talent and experience, especially postseason experience. The other names being thrown out there are guys like Kyle Lohse, Jose Contrares and Steve Trachsel. If Dontrelle Willis isn't put on the block by Florida, which seems the most logical move, than Morris will be the top...
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Lincecum Looking Like "The Franchise"
2007-07-22 23:31:00
The Giants two best pitchers at the moment helped them to a series win in Milwaukee over the weekend. Noah Lowry won his 10th game on Friday as he turned in another solid, quality start. Tim Lince cum turned in his 5th straight quality start on Saturday and he did it in impressive fashion going 8 shutout innings while striking out 8 and only allowing 5 baserunners against one of the best lineups in the National League. Those who had their questions about whether Tim Lincecum should be sent back down to triple A or be sent to the bullpen when he was struggling a few weeks back are now seeing the answer. The rook has now turned his season around in a few short starts as he's knocked about 2 points off his era in the last month while continuing to strike out over a batter per inning. Lincecum is really starting to find his groove. With the season pretty much all but over as far as contending for the playoffs, I like focusing on the young players, and I'm definitely looking forward to ...
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Bonds Blast's Off, Team Loses
2007-07-20 02:47:00
Just when you thought he was fading away, and some questioning whether he would ever get to 756, Barry Bonds had his best day in about 10 weeks. Bonds went 3-5 with 2 jacks and 6 RBI's in Thursday's loss to the Cubs. Barry Bonds is not the Bonds of a 5-10 years ago, but he can still get hot and if he does, he can hit 5 home runs in a week. He's now moved to within 2 home runs of Hank Aaron and is 3 away from holding the record all by himself. It looks like things are setting up so he'll be in position to either do it in Milwaukee (where Aaron played the majority of his career) or back in the bay in San Francisco. I have tickets to Tuesday nights' Braves game so I am hoping to have a chance to see either 755 or 756 in person. It's too bad this can't be a more celebrated time as far as the Giants go. You know your going bad as a team when your best player plays his best game of the season, and you still can't pull it out. Matt Morris turned in another abysmal performance Thurs...
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Time to Make a Deal
2007-07-16 21:19:00
The Giants kicked off the un-official second half of their season much like they played the first half. The age on this team is really catching up with them. A few of the players on this team are on line to have their worst season in their careers, and if the Giant's brass haven't already written this season off, I think it's time to do so. This should be the first summer in over a decade where the Giants sell at the deadline rather than stand pat or add to their roster. I just wish they would have gotten to business a little bit earlier. I mentioned in a few posts back in early May that the Giants should seriously consider dealing Matt Morris at that point because of how well he was pitching. I wasn't the only one who felt this way. I knew it was only a matter of time before Morris came back to earth and now he's looking more like the Morris of 2006 than ever. I did see some reasons to keep Morris, he was the teams ace and seemed like the Giants would win every time he took th...
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First Half Report Card
2007-07-09 06:29:00
The All-Star break is officially underway and it's time to take a look back at how the Giants fared in the first half of the 2007 season.Lineup: There are a couple of guys hitting the ball well at the moment, but only Bengie Molina and Barry Bonds seemed to stay healthy and somewhat consistent throughout the half. Bonds went on about a 6 week cold stretch in May and June, but has rebounded well and is on pace for another Barry Bonds type year, even at age 43. Molina has arguably been the best Giant pickup of the offseason as he's worked well with the staff and has come up with one clutch hit after another. The rest of the bunch has been anywhere from below average to dismal. Pedro Feliz, Rich Aurilia and Omar Vizquel seem to hurt the offense more then they help and Ray Durham is not coming anywhere close to matching his career year last season. Ryan Klesko and Randy Winn have been serviceable. With a consistent offense, this team would be at least .500.Overall Grade: DRotation: Th...
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Play Freddie!
2007-07-05 23:40:00
Freddie Lewis has been red hot since coming off the disabled list. He started with an excellent rehab assignment period in Fresno in which he hit close to .400 with 2 home runs and had 8 rbi in about a weeks time. In his two starts since being called back up with the big squad, he is 5-8, with 1 home run, 4 rbi, and 4 runs scored. I know Lewis has been inconsistent at times this year, and he has shown some inexperience in the outfield, but he is the only Giants youngster who can really fill out a stat sheet. Kevin Frandsen, Dan Ortmeier and Nate Schierholtz all have shown some glimpses of being able to stick, but Lewis sticks out a little bit from them in my eyes. It's obvious that he can fly and with time should become an above average base stealer, but the spot that separates Lewis from the others is his plate discipline. He also has a little bit more pop than the other 3 Giant rookies. Granted he's only had 99 at-bat's (118 plate appearances) he does carry a .790 OPS which is ...
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Barry Bonds: The Only Voted Giant
2007-07-03 03:33:00
Two things surprised regarding the Giant s and the All-Star game selections. I cannot believe Barr y Bonds made up the 120,000 votes he needed to beat out Alfonso Soriano to start in the outfield and he did it in the final 72 hours of voting. When it comes down to the numbers, Bonds deserved the spot over Soriano, but with all the hatred most baseball fans have towards him, I was surprised to see him gain that many votes in that little time. There was no question he was going to make the team in some, but most people, including myself, did not expect to see him in the starting lineup, just for the simple fact that the fans choose the starters All-Star team. Let's face it, outside of San Francisco, Bonds is baseball's most hated ballplayer, and he still somehow gained enough votes to crack the starting lineup. I'm sure that having the game in San Francisco had something to do with it and I wouldn't be surprised if there were some strings pulled that enabled Bonds to start this game...
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Cain's Curse Continues
2007-06-28 23:41:00
Three trends continued in Wednesday's loss to the Padres. The first is a trend that should prove to all Giants fans that still have hope, that this year just ain't the year. After an inspiring series vs. the Yankees in which the Giants took the last two and looked like a solid team in doing so, they roll over and lay an egg vs. San Diego. If there was ever a time to put together a nice little winning steak, that was the time. They had a chance to win all 3 vs. San Diego and they were at home, but they just couldn't get the job done. If they take those 3 vs. San Diego, then roll into Arizona on a nice 5 game winning streak and 2 series victories in a row vs. quality teams, then you start to look at things a little differently. But they didn't and they won't go on any big winning streaks at all for the rest of the season. Even with the quality starting pitching, the inconsistent and creaky lineup is getting more tired and inconsistent as the season wears on, and they aren't goin...
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Schierholtz Helps Carry Giants
2007-06-26 00:40:00
The Giants moved back within 10 games of .500 after they took the last two vs. the Yankees at AT&T Park. It was actually the most exciting baseball I've seen the Giants play in over a month. I think having the Yankees in town lit a little bit of a fire under the Giants' and the old legs and bats showed a little bit of life over the weekend. I am also getting more impressed by Nate Schierholtz the more I watch him. Not only did he win a game with a base hit on Saturday, but he came up with a crucial sac fly, behind in the count vs. Roger Clemens, a spot where many Giants have failed all to often this season. Schierholtz hasn't shown much power at all since his promotion, but he puts the ball in play a lot, and his batting average is showing it. The exciting thing about Schierholtz is that he seems to be more polished with the bat at the big league level than Ortmeier and Lewis, and he's 3 years younger. I think his power will come with time, but the thing I like about him is he i...
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All-Star Team Picks
2007-06-23 01:43:00
With the official halfway point in the Major League Baseball season right around the corner, and the all-star game approaching, here is my opinion on how the 30-man all-star rosters should fill out:American League:Star ting Lineup:CF Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle)SS Carlos Guillen (Detroit)3B Alex Rodriguez (New York)LF Magglio Ordonez (Detroit)RF Vladimer Guerrero (LA Angels)1B Justin Morneau (Minnesota)C Victor Martinez (Cleveland)2B B.J. Upton (Tampa Bay)SP Dan Haren (Oakland)Bench:OF Grady Sizemore (Cleveland)DH-OF Gary Sheffield (Detroit)OF Torii Hunter (Minnesota)DH-1B David Ortiz (Boston)SS Derek Jeter (New York)IF Brian Roberts (Baltimore)IF Mark Teahan* (Kansas City)C Jorge Posada (New York)IF Mike Lowell (Boston)OF Alex Rios (Toronto)IF Ian Kinsler* (Texas)Pitchers:SP Johan Santana (Minnesota)SP Josh Beckett (Boston)SP C.C. Sabathia (Cleveland)SP Kelvim Escobar (LA Angels)SP Justin Verlander (Detroit)SP John Lackey (LA Angels)RP J.J. Putz (Seattle)RP Francisco RodriguezRP Bobby Je...
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Things Getting Worse!
2007-06-20 04:36:00
Tuesday's loss marked the 6th in a row for the Giants, and their June fell to a pathetic 5-13. Thing s have gotten so bad that the Giants are not only 12 games out of first place, they are trailing the Rockies by 6 games and are in the NL West cellar. Say what you want about the average age of this team and yes they have one of the worst bullpens in the NL, but based on their starting pitching alone, this team is underachieving. Coming into this season, I, like a lot of people, expected the Giants to be a team that would hover around the .500 mark for most of the year. I thought that maybe in the open NL West, and NL in general, they would be in position at the deadline to possibly add a bat and a reliever to make a push for a playoff spot. I knew there were holes in this team, but I didn't think that they were this blatant. The fact is, the Giants are and will continue to be the team you are currently watching. I hate to say it, but there isn't going to be a turnaround. Sure, th...

Where's the Run Support?
2007-06-17 01:28:00
After the Giants got shut out for the third time in a week on Saturday, Matt Cain's record fell to 2-7. In April, If you would have told me that Matt Cain would be 2-7, while sporting a 3.15 era through June, I would have said you were crazy. But here we are, June 16 and Cain is looking like the best 2-7 pitcher I've ever seen. Cain has gotten back on track over his last couple of starts. He's cut back on his walks and his pitch count has been helped because of it. I can't recall exactly how many times Cain has lost a game due to lack of run support or because of the bullpen blowing it, but there have been far to many. The bats seem like they're already tired, and were barely halfway through June. The only players who are performing at or above league average at their respective positions are Bengie Molina, Barry Bonds and Randy Winn. Both Molina and Winn have cooled off a little after tearing it up during the month of May and Bonds just seems like he hasn't been right at the ...
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Lincecum's Struggles Continue
2007-06-14 00:43:00
Tim Lince cum turned in his 3rd straight sub-par outing on Wednesday, a game in which the Giants had a chance to sweep a series, something they haven't done in about a month. Lincecum's lack of control continues to be his downfall. His stuff is amazing, but he's consistently getting himself behind in counts and putting himself in situations where he has to give in to hitters. Wednesday's start was his worst start of the season, even worse than his debut outing vs. the Mets, and it was the second time in a row Lincecum failed to complete five innings. His recent struggles have raised the question to some as to whether it's time to start thinking about Lincecum in the closing role? My feelings on that... No Way. You can't decide to alter a guy with this much potential because he's had a few bad outings early in his rookie season. We all know young pitchers go through ups and downs in early on, and even guys praised as highly as Lincecum are not always going to come up and domina...
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Draft Coverage Part 2
2007-06-11 22:22:00
The Giants have plummeted to a season low 6 games below .500, and the same problems they've had all year continue to hurt them. I thought today would be a good day to continue focusing on the draft. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview Brian Foley, a college baseball enthusiast who does a terrific job covering NCAA hardball action at http://www.collegebaseball.blogspot.com.S FGBLOG: What are your thoughts on Madison Bumgarner? Was he worthy of a top 10 pick in your opinion?BF: I personally don't like to see High School kids especially left-handers drafted in the first round of the draft but based on the reports I have read about Madison he is well worth the selection. He is a big left handed pitcher who has some good weight behind him since he weighs 220 already. It is very rare to see a pitcher this big coming out of high school which is a plus. The Giants do have to work with him in the minor leagues in developing some breaking pitchers as he has a poor bre...
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2007 Draft: Giants Take Pitching Early
2007-06-09 00:41:00
Sticking to their same formula they have kept over the past 5 years, the Giants targeted pitching with their first pick in the 2007 major league baseball amateur draft. With the Giants lacking position playing talent in their system, the general thought was that the team would try and re-stock their positional talent this draft, but they took two pitchers right off the bat and let one of the draft's more intriguing bat's pass through. I was not an expert on this draft, but have studied projected first round picks over the last week or so. What was considered a high-school rich draft, it shouldn't be too surprising to see that all 3 of the teams' first round picks were taken out of high school. Here is my breakdown of the Giants top 3 picks of the draft:1. LHP Madison Bumgarner (10th overall): After watching scouting videos on this guy, it's easy to see why the Giants made him worthy of the number 10 pick. He has a smooth, easy delivery that somehow slings the ball out of his ha...
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No Relief In Sight
2007-06-06 23:17:00
The Giants bullpen once again has to take the blame for the teams' loses in Philadelphia and Arizona. Armando Benitez is gone, but it seems like the Giants are giving up more games late than they did with him here. I have been a supporter of Kevin Corriea all year, and I have posted numerous times that I think he is the toughest Giants' reliever to hit, when he's on. I still think Corriea has good stuff and I still think he is one of the better relievers on this staff (not saying much) but this guy has blown a lot of games, whether they've been his fault or not. However, You can't really put all the blame on Corriea, even though it's the popular thing to do. The ball Shane Victorino hit out of the park on Saturday wouldn't have even made it to the warning track in San Francisco. And sure, on paper it looks like Corriea is the gofer for Saturday's game, but it was Jack Taschner that gave up the game changing, 3-run home to Ryan Howard on a 1-2 fastball right down the middle. ...
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Benitez Gone, Not Much Changes
2007-06-03 23:43:00
The Giants opened their weekend series in Philadelphia with a bang, scoring 13 runs against the Phillies while getting another dominant performance from Matt Morris. This all came fresh off of a tough series in New York, and right after the team traded the enigma that is Armando Beni tez. The popular theory around the bay area sports radio stations and among the media was that the problem had been removed from the team, so the team would and should play better. I can see how not having Benitez around could ease some of the tension in the clubhouse and it saves the Giants fans the agony of watching him pitch for this team any longer. However, the fact that Benitez is no longer on the team does not change the fact that this lineup is still very old and unproductive. It doesn't change the fact that the rest of the bullpen, outside Brad Hennessey and occasionally Kevin Corriea, is so poor, that any reasonable lead late in a ballgame is never safe, no matter who it's against or where it...
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Benitez Nightmare Comes To An End
2007-06-01 06:00:00
Giants fans got the news they have been waiting to here all season, matter of fact the last two seasons. The team announced Thursday that they had traded Armando Beni tez to the Marlins in exchange for Randy Messenger. Who they got in return was not the issue, the mission was to get Benitez off this roster and out of that clubhouse as quick as possible. All things considered, I am a little surprised the Giants actually got a ML caliber reliever, especially one with the potential of Messenger. After the latest Benitez blunder, one that summed Benitez's reign as the Giants closer up in 1 inning, it was made pretty obvious that the Giants were ready to get rid of Benitez, even if it meant that they were going to have to release him. I think the Marlins could have had him for a low level prospect if they wanted to, but the Giants were able to squeeze Messenger out of the deal. Now, Messenger is no savior, and at this point his numbers would indicate that we are getting nothing better th...
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Giants Blow One In NY
2007-05-30 04:41:00
Coming off one of the toughest series of the season, and heading into one of the toughest road trips on the schedule, a lot of people where picking now as a point in the season that will define what this team will do the rest of the way. The Giants got swept by Colorado for the first time in the teams' history, and the losing streak continued in New York on Tuesday. The Giants once again got a terrific performance from their young phenom, Tim Lincecum as he threw another 7 quality innings in which he looked un-hittable at times. He made one mistake to Carlos Delgado and paid for it, but other than that, he did what he has done in his previous 3 starts. The bullpen even kept the team in the game until Armondo Benitez was called upon to try and close it out. Benitez, making a return to the place where he pitched for the majority of his career, showed the Mets' fans what they certainly haven't missed over the last 4 years. I don't want to let the offense off the hook on this one, a...

Strikeouts For Troops
2007-05-27 00:34:00
I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to attend "Barry Zito's Strike outs For Troops Giants Jam Fundraiser" this week and it was one of the coolest events I have ever been to. All the proceeds from the event went to the Strikeouts for Troops project which helps aid war wounded troops in their recovery and rehabilitation. Barry Zito put on an excellent show as he played his guitar for his sister's band and even sang in a few songs. I was not able to make it in time to see Omar Vizquel's performance, but other than that, I don't have any complaints. One of the highlights of the event was the auction, in which a few Giants' players jerseys were auctioned off, and the auctioneer was none other than Mr. Barry Bonds. Even Bonds didn't disappoint when he got the microphone in his hand. Among a few of the players I had a chance to speak with were Noah Lowry, Mark Sweeney and Russ Ortiz. I must say, Mark Sweeney is one of the coolest ballplayers that I have had a chance to ...

Giants Rotation As Strong As Ever
2007-05-23 23:56:00
I know it's only late May, and there is still about 2/3 of the season left to play, but I think it's safe to say that we are witnessing the best, most complete Giants ' rotation since at least 1993. In '93 they had two, 20 game winners in John Burkett and Bill Swift. While it's likely this staff won't have a single 20 game winner this season, the Giants' quantity and quality of starting pitching is second to none in all of baseball. Tim Lincecum as a 5th starter is just unfair. He's already out dulled Roy Oswalt twice in the last week alone, and seems like he is getting better and better each time out. Then there's Noah Lowry, who is having possibly the best season out of all of the Giants starters. I think Lowry has benefited the most from having Barry Zito around. His curveball has caught up with his changeup to give him 2, very good off-speed pitches. Matt Morris has rebounded beautifully from last year, and has looked like the second coming of Greg Maddux on the mound in...
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Matt Morris: The Un-expected Ace
2007-05-22 01:12:00
When you look at the Giants starting rotation on paper, seeing names like Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Noah Lowry and Tim Lincecum, you kind of lose track of the guy who has been the team's stopper this season. Matt Morris continued his 2007 dominance on Sunday in Oakland with a complete game, 2 hit masterpiece vs. a streaking A's offense. Morris still isn't blowing people away, as his fastball didn't get over 88 mph Sunday, but his tremendous curveball, and uncanny command have carried him to a 5-1 record and a 2.93 era, both of which lead the staff. I think everybody was certainly expecting Morris to rebound from last years nightmare, but I don't think anyone was predicting this. I was hoping to get a .500 season out of Morris with an era in the low 4's, but a 17+ win season is not out of the question at this point, even with the sketchy Giants bullpen and offense. His recent success also has to have the Giants wondering about trading him while his value is peaking. The one spot w...
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Giants Notes
2007-05-18 23:47:00
The team's May struggles continued in Houston, as they once again received terrific starting pitching, but the bullpen and/or offense could not pull their weight. They managed to salvage the final game of the series, thanks to the first, real dominant performance by Tim Lincecum. He pitched well in Denver on last weekend, but he really arrived Thursday night. Lincecum out-pitched an idol of his in Roy Oswalt by going 7 innings, allowing 2 hits, 1 unearned run and striking out 10 Astros. He looked like he was right back in Fresno, throwing against AAA hitters, rather than against an offensive powerhouse, in one of the most live yards in the league. Now the Giants need to figure out what to do with Russ Ortiz, as it looks like Lincecum is here to stay, and the rest of the staff is pitching well. I think Ortiz will be a solid reliever, as long as he keeps his focus. He does walk a lot of batters, but he has one of the better cutters in the game and if you shorten him down to an inning...
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