As an optimistic Giants' fan, I must say I've enjoyed THIS season more than any in recent memory. The hopes of reaching the play-offs as a wild card still intrigue me; however, I know a lot of things would have to go our way in order to make that happen. First, the Rockies need to go on a nice, long losing streak, but that probably won't happen. We can only control our next series, and that lies in Arizona. Fortunately, Danny Haren pitched Sunday, so we won't have to deal with him. Doug Davis going up against Barry Zito tonight.
But let's look at this rationally for a moment. Last year: 72 wins....This year: 80 wins with a couple of weeks still to go. Seven more wins possible? That would be 87 wins for the year, and a 15-game improvement from last year. I know it's not the play-offs, but we're getting up off the mat - I think that's clear. Look at the youth we can look forward to infusing into this roster in 2010: Bumgarner, Runzler, Joaquin, Posey, Burriss, Torres (two HR's Sunday), Schierholtz. A healthy Freddy Sanchez everyday? A couple of free agent additions. Maybe trade Jonathan Sanchez or, gulp, Matt Cain, for a legit bat? Goodbye to weak-hitting outfielders Randy Winn and "Fresno" Freddy Lewis? I'm liking this direction.
Let me say that I felt realllllly good after Friday night's win; knowing that Penny (big chip on his shoulder), and Lincecum (always with a chip on his shoulder) would take the ball Saturday and Sunday respectively. I watched both games to their bitter conclusions, and had to watch our starting pitching NOT come through. Penny was over-hyped, and had no control, walking a pair in that dreadful five-run first-inning. Ronnie Belliard??? Anyway, "shake it off, there are a lot of innings left" (I was telling myself Saturday). Then, back-to-back jobs by Kemp and Loney kind of squashed any hopes for a comback (down 7-1 at that point). "Oh well", I told myself , "we'll bounce back and get 'em Sunday behind Lincecum, right?" Um....no.
Timmy looked tired. He threw a ton of pitches (86 over just four innings), and didn't have the multitude of dominant pitches we're so accustomed to seeing. Seemed like his curve ball was the only consistent pitch Sunday. Is he just worn out? Too many innings over the last two years starting to catch up to him? His last start was encouraging after skipping a start, but he just wasn't right Sunday when the team needed him the most. Four walks and four hits through four wasn't what anyone expected, and again, it was Ethier and Belliard wreaking havoc. I don't know why Orlando Hudson fell from the face of the earth offensively since July, but the Belliard acquisition was a stroke of pure genius by Ned Colleti. Ethier with 101 RBI's as he crushed his 31st homer off Lincecum in the third. Belliard came through with a clutch two-run single to essentially put the game away in the fourth. After Padilla's sub-par start Friday night, L.A. bounced back with rock solid efforts from Jon Garland and Randy Wolf. The Dodgers, even with a make-shift starting rotation and doubts about Chad Billingsley's effectiveness down the stretch, are 90-and-60. Colleti and Torre appear to be in top form heading towards a division title and the play-offs.
Keywords: Andre Ethier, Barry Zito, Brad Penny, Colorado Rockies, Danny Haren, Doug Davis, Fred Lewis, Freddy Sanchez, James Loney, Joe Torre, Jon Garland, Jonathan Sanchez, Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Kemp, Ned Colleti, Orlando Hudson, Rafael Belliard, Randy Winn, Randy Wolf, San Francisco Giants, Tim Lincecum
