Kuzul

The San Francisco Giants have been the 2010 World Series Champions for about a week now, which means Tim Lincecum and his buddies are probably just now fully appreciating what they’ve done for the city.

However, as the champagne from San Francisco’s first baseball title goes flat and the last scraps of confetti get washed away by November rains, greedy Bay Area eyes are already turning toward 2011 and beyond.

The rosier lenses in the region see a lot more winning down the road.

With the young rotation bristling with talent and forged by postseason experience, Buster Posey behind the dish, and a budget that can/should expand efficiently, there is plenty about which to be excited if you follow baseball on the shores of the San Francisco Bay.

Yet any discussion about los Gigantes that involves a look to the future inevitably comes back to Lincecum, his slight build, and his importance to the team. The (sound) logic is that the horizon gets considerably grayer if the Franchise isn’t taking the pearl every fifth day and his skeptics are perpetually predicting the first muscle strain or bulging disc that will announce the beginning of the end.

For Timmy and for the Giants.

But those skeptics haven’t been paying attention.

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Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee will kick off the 2010 World Series at AT&T Park on Wednesday night—the matchup everyone wanted and expected to see was officially greenlit when San Francisco Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy announced the Freak would get Game 1.

Cliff Lee, cooling his heels since his October 18th start in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, was tabbed as the Texas Rangers’ go-to guy the minute his mates eliminated the New York Yankees in Game 6 of the ALCS.

When the lefty with pinpoint control and the diminutive right-handed fireballer take the mound against each other, they’ll carry with them three of the last four Cy Young awards and a set of dominant ’10 playoff performances.

Lee has yet to whiff less than 10 batters in a start this postseason and has posted the following line—3 GS, 3 W, 24 IP, 13 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 34 K, a 0.58 WHIP, and a 0.75 ERA.

Not only that, he’s done it in 16 frames against the Tampa Bay Rays and eight versus the New York Yankees.

The Franchise hasn’t been quite as nifty, but consider that this is Lincecum’s first playoff rodeo and he’s still a relatively green 26 years of age (by comparison, Lee is 32). Placed in context his nine-inning masterpiece against the Atlanta Braves in his debut is all the more dazzling (9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 14 K).

Timmy then outdueled Roy Hallladay twice—14 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 15 K versus 13 IP, 14 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 12 K, and an injured groin—to lead the successful insurgency against the defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

If these two elite twirlers pitch to their reputations and recent exploits in Game 1, they could easily wind up on this list.

Until then, however, here is the list of the top 10 World Series matchups in the history of Major League Baseball:

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The 2010 National League Championship series between the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies has already given us some sterling starting pitching. Despite what a few of the the classier Philly fans believe.

Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum hooked Cy Young horns in Game 1 and, though neither was on top of his superlative game, they still managed to whiff 15 batters in an evenly split 14 combined innings.

Roy Oswalt and Jonathan Sanchez dueled in Game 2 with the Phillies’ ace walking away the better man on the evening. The midseason acquisition spun eight frames of three-hit ball, surrendering Cody Ross’ fourth postseason big fly in the fifth inning as his only blemish.

Sanchez wasn’t quite as dirty, but he managed five erratic innings while only allowing two earned runs to a vastly superior offense.

And the fun isn’t over yet.

With the seven-gamer knotted at a game apiece, the Gents and Phightin’s will give us at least three more scintillating matchups between starting pitchers.

Matt Cain and Cole Hamels will reignite hostilities when the series opens in the City on Tuesday, and we’ll probably see rookie phenom Madison Bumgarner before another dose of Doc Vs. the Franchise in Game 5.

Depending on how the contests unfold, we might see one crack this list of the top 10 pitching matchups in the history of Major League Baseball.

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Promotional campaigns come and go so when the San Francisco Giants‘ public-relations machine—spearheaded by A-list broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow—started hitting the party line “Giants Baseball, It’s Torture” with tedious glee, I resisted it for as long as possible.

However, let’s just say that the promos get it right every now and again.

And the 2010 San Francisco baseball season has been one of those times.

NLDS—The Regular Season in a Five-Game Nutshell

There is no denying los Gigantes have wreaked havoc on local digestive and cardiovascular systems. The gut-wrenching regular season could’ve been iced at any time during the campaign’s final weekend, but the clincher didn’t come until Game 162 with Jonathan Sanchez—historically the most volatile of the SF starters—taking the bump against the heel-nipping San Diego Padres.

Next, the lads had all but sewn up a commanding 2-1 lead against the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series behind suffocating efforts from Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Of course, Sergio Romo and sub-par defense coughed up the lead late in Game 2.

At home.

Then Rick Ankiel’s moon ball of a home run finished driving the stake through the fan base’s collective heart.

True, the Gents managed to pull it back out by taking both games at Turner Field in Atlanta, but not before arguably the most agonizing moment to date—the two-run bomb hit by Eric Hinske in the bottom of the eighth that threatened to give Atlanta a 2-1 edge in the NLDS, make Romo the goat once more and turn another sparkling performance from Dirty Sanchez into a total waste.

Thankfully, clutch at-bats from Aubrey Huff, Travis Ishikawa, Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez plus some shockingly porous Brave defense quickly salvaged the evening before a relatively mundane final inning from Brian Wilson ended the roller coaster.

In Game 4, the fellas finally took pity on the faithful.

Madison Bumgarner threw six fantastic innings (considering the kid is a 21-year-old rookie), and Cody Ross powered the just-enough offense as the Orange and Black put the best-of-five epic to bed with a game to spare.

Only a semi-adventurous ninth from Wilson caused any ripple in the Bay Area EKG.

The early advancement to the NL Championship Series notwithstanding, the back-and-forth NLDS was a perfect metaphor for San Fran’s run through ’10—four tense, low-scoring ball games that featured excellent pitching were each decided by defense, bullpens, the minimum of timely hitting, and a single run.

It’s a good thing, too, because the series was the team’s last chance for torture. No matter what happens, the excruciating ecstasy will end against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Phillie Pitching Erases Giant Asset

Let’s face it—the San Francisco Giants have no business upsetting the Phightin’ Phils.

Not only are Charlie Manuel’s boys the two-time defending NL Champions, but they are also one of the few sides that can boast as good a starting pitching set as the Giants.

If not better when you limit the comparison to the top three studs.

There aren’t many gentlemen who can enter a room occupied by Tim Lincecum and claim to be the best starter in said confines. Arguably, there is only one…and he pitches for Philadelphia.

Enough has been written detailing Roy Halladay‘s fairy-tale exploits, so I’ll leave it at that.

Southpaw Cole Hamels was almost as blinding as Doc in his Game 3 start against the Cincinnati Reds, plus he’s got a postseason pedigree that few hurlers can match—he was the 2008 NLCS Most Valuable Player and the World Series MVP that same year.

Meanwhile, Roy Oswalt got knocked around a bit by the Redlegs, but San Francisco can’t thump like Cincy. Additionally, Oswalt still boasts a 3.83 ERA in 51.2 postseason innings.

Hometown bias says the Freak, Cainer and Sanchez are still better, but hometown bias tends to ignore the vast advantage the Philly rotation has in experience. Only Halladay has less than 50 postseason frames to his credit, which is of little comfort when the dude throws a no-hitter in his playoff debut.

Phillie Offense Creates Giant Deficit

This notion needs about as much exploration to validate as does Roy Halladay’s reputation.

With all due respect to Huff, Andres Torres and Pat Burrell, los Gigantes don’t even have one MVP-caliber bat until Posey gets a little more mileage on his major-league wheels.

Contrarily, the Phils have at least three in Ryan Howard (2006 NL MVP), Jimmy Rollins (2007 NL MVP, though admittedly having a down year) and Chase Utley (the best hitter and player on the team). Adding insult to run-scoring injury are plus-performers like Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Raul Ibanez, Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz.

This is a dynamic and dangerous lineup, No. 1 through No. 8.

On paper, it dwarfs San Francisco’s in a comparison that would be funny if I weren’t a Giants die-hard.

But the Games Are Played on Diamonds, Not Paper

Major League Baseball has always been an unpredictable animal and ’10 has been no different—well-laid plans in Boston and Seattle went awry almost immediately, the St. Louis Cardinals collapsed despite fielding four of the best talents in the show, and other-worldly pitching created an offensive desert in the middle of a Steroid Era bloom.

In other words, stranger things have happened than a San Francisco Giants trip to the 2010 World Series.

But it will be an enormous uphill climb, which means a successful summit would be all gravy.

And that means, win or lose, the torture is already over.

It just won’t feel like it.

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The San Francisco Giants battled back from what would’ve been a catastrophic loss at the hands of the Atlanta Braves on Sunday afternoon and now head into Game 4 of the National League Division Series with a two-games-to-one advantage.

Clutch at-bats from Travis Ishikawa, Freddy Sanchez, Aubrey Huff, Buster Posey, and a major assist from Atlanta second baseman Brooks Conrad made up for another rough trip to the bump for Sergio Romo.

The increasingly suspect big-spot, late-inning option gave up a sickening home run to journeyman pinch-hitter Eric Hinske in the bottom of the eighth inning and almost blew a Giant starter’s gem for the second consecutive NLDS game.

Thankfully, Conrad got the last crack at the postseason-goat pinata and broke that sucker wide open with his fourth “erruh” (to quote Dick Stockton) in three games. Yet another E-4 accounted for San Francisco’s winning margin, which makes it 2-for-2 in the five-gamer thus far.

Consequently, you won’t find this comeback on the list of greatest playoff moments in franchise history. The rebound from Hinske’s crushing blow was another magical moment in 2010, but the fact that it required help keeps it off this illustrious list.

As I think you will agree…

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The Atlanta Braves couldn’t get anything started against the San Francisco Giants‘ vaunted pitching staff, so the home-standing Gents took an admittedly unorthodox approach.

They decided to start the Bravos’ offense themselves—not the wisest thing to do for your World Series aspirations, but it sure makes for an exciting night of baseball.

And another significant challenge for emerging southpaw Jonathan Sanchez.

A Pat Burrell bobble in left field helped give Atlanta its first run in 14 divisional-series innings, though Bobby Cox’ squad would have to wait a little longer for its first earned run. That rally two innings later was also aided by an error as a wayward throw from Pablo Sandoval allowed Melky Cabrera to reach and eventually cross the plate as the tying run.

Extra innings were needed to settle the affair, a feat accomplished in the 11th inning when Rick Ankiel exorcised his personal playoff demons with a Bondsian blast into McCovey Cove off of Ramon Ramirez. The former St. Louis Cardinal pitcher, who infamously disintegrated in Game 1 of the 2000 National League Division Series with five wild pitches, obliterated a solo home run that only needed to be heard.

The sound alone told you it wasn’t staying dry.

And that the series was going back to Hotlanta tied at one game apiece.

Somewhat lost in all the shuffle was a blinder from Matt Cain in his postseason debut.

He picked up right where Tim Lincecum left off; though Cainer didn’t match the Freak, he twirled a fantastic ballgame. The 26-year-old tossed six-and-two-thirds innings while tolerating seven hits, two walks, an unearned run, and whiffing six.

Alas, the big right-hander’s defense and bullpen let him down as two regular-season strengths turned into playoff albatrosses in front of the appalled AT&T Park crowd.

Brian Wilson was up from the start of his appearance and that never bodes well for any pitcher, even one of the best door-slammers in the game. The colorful closer got bruised a bit when Alex Gonzalez scalded a ball to the left-center gap, but the only run that crossed home plate belonging to Wilson was unearned thanks to Sandoval’s E-5.

The two earnies belonged to the real bullpen goat, Sergio Romo.

The normally reliable eight-inning man faced two batters (Derrek Lee and Brian McCann), allowed them both to reach on singles, and each would come around to score when Romo’s bearded compadre took a few batters to find his postseason legs.

Meanwhile, the Braves late-inning crew was pressed into early duty by a mediocre playoff debut from Tommy Hanson.

The youngster had a rough first frame that saw Burrell’s three-run jimmy-jack create an early deficit and wouldn’t make the fifth, but a parade of Atlanta relievers stifled the Giants‘ lumber. Southpaw Mike Dunn, righty Peter Moylan, lefty Jonny Venters, and right-hander Craig Kimbrel torched San Francisco‘s lineup with five scoreless innings that saw only three baserunners and eight strikeouts.

Then Kyle Farnsworth did his best to deliver Game 2 on a silver platter after Braves’ closer Billy Wagner left with what looked like a serious injury to his side. Of course, los Gigantes’ season-long nemesis—the dreaded double-play grounder—knifed them in the back again.

Buster Posey was the culprit this time, grounding into a 5-4-3 twin-killing in the bottom of the tenth with the bases loaded.

Ankiel would hit his moon ball two Brave batters later and Farnsworth would put the finishing touches on his win.

Now, Jonathan Sanchez must continue his recent spate of effectively wild outings in order to save the Giants’ tortuous 2010 season. A loss in Game 3 would either require a start from Lincecum on short rest or a horrifically unfavorable predicament for 21-year-old Madison Bumgarner’s first taste of playoff baseball.

All is not lost, however.

True, the lefty did issue 19 free passes in September and October. But he suffered a mere18 hits and half of those were singles i.e. you better hope he walks you because the league “hit” Jonathan to the tune of a .151 batting average and a .261 slugging percentage in 35.2 frames spanning those two months.

The faithful will also recall that he started and won the NL West clincher against the San Diego Padres on Sunday. He set a suffocating tone with the pennant hanging in the balance, a pressure-packed turn on the bump if there ever was one as 161 games culminated in a single contest.

The San Francisco Giants and their fans must hope Jonathan Sanchez is up to the challenge once again.

Because, this time, 164 games depend on it.

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When the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night, they guaranteed that the three-game series against the San Francisco Giants to end the year would be meaningful.

Exactly how meaningful remains to be seen, as the Giants continue to play good baseball.

With their own victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the good guys maintained their two-game lead on the Friars in the loss column.

Should the Gents win again on Thursday, they’ll ensure that only a sweep would prevent them from reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2003 regardless of what the Fathers do in their finale with the Lovable Losers.

But, should SF lose and SD win, then the intensity for that final weekend will be unlike anything the City has witnessed around a diamond for almost a decade. Only a game would separate the clubs in that scenario.

Granted, the Atlanta Braves could kill all the suspense because they’re only one game ahead of the Pads in the loss column. The Bravos will face the Philadelphia Phillies while the National League West front-runners are renewing hostilities.

Nevertheless, the eyes of Major League Baseball will be on AT&T Park from Friday until Sunday as one of the two remaining pennants up for grabs gets decided by the two teams fighting over the flag.

What they’ll see is San Francisco charge into the playoffs for these 10 reasons (in no particular order).

And, yes, I’m knocking on wood as I type each paragraph…

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Everyone knew the San Francisco Giants’ starting pitching would be the team’s strength heading into the 2010 season.

However, even those lofty expectations didn’t prepare the Major League Baseball world for what would unfold in the month of April—the starters came out firing bullets.

Extremely accurate and effective bullets.

Tim Lincecum roared from the gates (1.27 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 43:7 K:BB) and three of the other four starters were right on his heels.

Barry Zito (1.53 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 24:11 K:BB), Jonathan Sanchez (1.85 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 33:13 K:BB), and Matt Cain (3.80 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 16:4 K:BB) did their best freakish imitations.

However, the lads cooled considerably when the calendar began turning pages as Lincecum embarked on a Cy-Young-self-seeking journey that lasted several months and “Baked Zito” regressed badly.

That and the presence of the original (and underwhelming) fifth starter, Todd Wellemeyer, killed any historical talk regarding the Gents’ rotation.

Of course, things have changed.

Rookie-phenom Madison Bumgarner grabbed the No. 5 slot in late June, and the 21-year-old hasn’t shown even a slight hint of relinquishing it.

In fact, you could make a strong argument that the grizzled veteran, Zito, is the weakest link at this point.

When a 32-year-old former Cy Young could be the worst option in a rotation, it’s time to think about attaching “all-time” to any flattering description.

But, first, let’s take a closer look at the suspects:

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Although you might not be able to hear it over the din of the early NFL season, Major League Baseball has opened the throttle for its stretch run.

Magic numbers are dwindling in the American League as the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins are days away from officially clinching the AL West and Central, respectively.

Over in the AL East, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are still tussling over the pennant, but the runner-up will be the proud owner of the Junior Circuit’s Wild Card.

In other words, the only mystery is the seeding.

Contrarily, the playoff picture in the Senior Circuit is hopelessly cluttered.

The Cincinnati Reds have almost locked up the National League Central and the Philadelphia Phillies are beginning to disappear over the horizon with the NL East flag, but the NL West and Wild Card won’t be decided until the final weekend.

Which brings us to the San Francisco Giants and their portly, once-everyday third baseman, Pablo Sandoval.

The lads have exactly 12 games to separate themselves from the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, and Atlanta Braves.

The Friars—who are knotted up with San Francisco in the loss column—and the Rox—who trail both teams with an extra defeat—have 13 games left on the slate. The Bravos are one ahead of the good guys in the loss column with only 11 to play.

When the margin is so narrow and the remaining schedule is heading toward single digits, anything can happen. Eventually, however, the separation will come.

If the Gents want it to be of the good variety, the kind that will send them to the franchise’s first postseason since 2003, it would behoove all involved if “The Kung Fu Panda” found the stroke that made him a city favorite in 2009.

You can no longer say the berth depends on Sandoval catching fire because the squad has contended for so long without him, but such a development would certainly make life easier.

Unfortunately, such a renaissance seems highly unlikely at this point given the magnitude of what’s gone wrong for the voluminous Venezuelan.

The Trouble Starts on the Surface

From a macroscopic perspective, the first thing that’s gone awry is easy to spot.

Because it’s everything.

Check out the splits from 2009 to 2010:

2009—633 PA, 79 R, 44 2B, 25 HR, 90 RBI, .330 BA, .387 OBP, .556 SLG, 10 GDP

2010—585 AB, 59 R, 32 2B, 12 HR, 60 RBI, .264 BA, .318 OBP, .402 SLG, 26 GDP

There’s good, there’s bad, there’s ugly, and then there’s whatever you want to call that mess.

As you can see, Pablo’s looking at some horrendous regression in his second full season unless he scores 20 runs, hits 12 doubles, launches 13 home runs, raises his batting average 66 points, ups his on-base percentage by 69 points, adds 154 points to his slugging percentage, and erases 16 double plays from his tally in the next 48 plate appearances.

Only one thing I mentioned is literally impossible, but all of the above might as well be, since it ain’t happening.

Especially since “Little Money” has been removed from his regular spot in the lineup. Part of the motivation for the periodic hook is the overall free-fall, but it’s also got a little something to do with the next crimson flag protruding from Sandoval’s body of work.

Something Has Gone Wrong from the Right Side

Last year, the switch-hitter was a holy terror from both sides of the dish, but he was even better when gripping and ripping from the right side against left-handers.

I won’t bore you with the full array of statistics, but here are the most pertinent highlights—a slash line of .379/.428/.600 and only 15 K in 159 PA.

Now, look at the same splits for 2010.

It’s not just that Sandoval’s struggled from the right side this campaign, it’s that he’s looked utterly and comically lost while collecting the numbers to prove it. That’s how you go from the aforementioned and sparkling ’09 version to a slash line of .232/.285/.312 with 25 whiffs in eight fewer trips to the plate.

True, the train doesn’t go this far off the track for a switch-hitter without issues on both sides of the plate. Nevertheless, the drastic contrast between the right-handed performances makes it evident that the solution must start there.

Sadly, it musn’t stop there.

And It’s Continued to Go Wrong on the Road

In his young career, “The Panda” has established that he is one of the few splinters who adores hitting at AT&T Park.

The spacious confines and heavy air don’t seem to bother him as he rocked a .361 average with a 1.012 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (amongst other pretty numbers) by the San Francisco Bay in ’09.

Again, no data or split has been spared the carnage of Pablo’s decline, but his ’10 home stats don’t look as gruesome as the rest. His .326 average and .892 are, quite frankly, staggering to anyone who’s watched him closely this year.

But that old, familiar feeling returns when you place the road splits next to each other:

2009—325 PA, 36 R, 24 2B, 12 HR, 43 RBI, .301 BA, .363 OBP, .514 SLG, 5 GDP

2010—300 PA, 26 R, 13 2B, 4 HR, 22 RBI, .204 BA, .260 OBP, .296 SLG, 14 GDP

Ordinarily, you’d fixate on the fact that almost 100 points have been shaved off the batting average. Or maybe that Sandoval’s on-base percentage has dropped by over 100 points. Or perhaps that his slugging percentage is lighter to the tune of 218 points.

In this case, though, it’s pretty tough to get over Pablo’s seemingly supernatural ability to ground into about three times as many double plays despite 25 fewer plate appearances. That’s almost as inexplicable as…

Here’s the Kicker

Perhaps the most pressing issue is the set of numbers that has NOT changed.

Typically, you’d expect to see some underlying explanation for such a severe turn of events. You’d expect to see a significant decrease in line drives as the anxious batter tries to compensate, either rolling everything over as he tries to pull the ball (grounder) or trying to hit every offering into the bleachers (pop up).

Or maybe a change in plate discipline or contact rate.

But this is where Sandoval’s year gets really weird—compare the ’10 line-drive, ground-ball, and fly-ball rates to their ’09 counterparts. Better yet, compare his ‘10 plate discipline with the same on display in ’09.

No discrepancies greater than five percent and most of the statistics are basically the same.

That’s distressing, but it’s also (slight) reason for hope.

Carrying a Heavy Burden with Lady Luck Shoeing Him in the Junk

The lack of overt evidence as to the decline could mean it’s more a mental snafu than anything else—a mechanical flaw should reveal itself through the numbers.

Of course, many pundits around the Bay Area love to point at Pablito’s ever-expanding waistline as the cause of all his ills and for good reason. Let’s not mince words—dude is fat and getting fatter.

But he wasn’t exactly slim in ’09 when he was yanking the pearl to hell and gone on a nightly basis. So, while Sandoval most definitely needs to get his weight under control for the sake of longevity, I’m not so sure I buy the pounds as the root of this year’s problem.

They can’t help, but observers also have to remember that (A) this is only the third baseman’s second full year in the Show; (B) he recently finalized an arduous divorce; (C) he was expected to be the primary lumberjack for a contender; and (D) he’s a relatively young 24-year-old.

That’s a whole lot to keep track of in the ol’ noodle for what many would still consider to be a kid. With that kind of mental stress, it wouldn’t take a very large straw to break the proverbial camel’s back.

Say, a slide in batting average on balls in play (BABIP) from ..356 in 2008 to .350 in ’09 to…oh, .287 in ’10!?!?!?

Yikes, that’s one large serving of bad luck, right there.

And luck can change just as quickly as an athlete’s mindset.

Pablo Sandoval is having a brutal 2010 Major League Baseball season, that much is without a doubt.

One can only hope the jovial youngster figures out the solution and snaps back to his previous form as quickly as possible because, when he’s right, the man is a sight to behold and fun to watch.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the San Francisco Giants will get to enjoy that spectacle until 2011.

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On June 16, 2010, the San Diego Padres got out of bed and looked up at the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were white-knuckling a half-game lead in the National League West. The next day, the Pads would move into a first-place tie with the Bums and wouldn’t relinquish the catbird’s seat for the rest of June.

Or July.

Or August.

Or the through the first 16 days of September.

But when the Friars wake up on Sept. 17, they will once again be greeted by a deficit in the West.

All it took was a 10-game losing jag, a bad weekend against their pursuer, and finally a 4-0 shutout at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals to erase precisely three months of division domination and open the door for the San Francisco Giants.

Thanks to scintillating performances by Jonathan Sanchez and Aubrey Huff (with Buster Posey, Edgar Renteria, and Jose Guillen in sterling supporting roles), los Gigantes sashayed right through and will be front-running in the race for the pennant when Friday morning breaks.

The inconsistent southpaw may be on his way to shedding that adjective after confounding the Dodgers for seven innings on Thursday night, his fourth straight effective turn on the bump in the fire of a postseason drive.

The hated rivals spent a good deal of the evening in an offensive fog similar to the pea soup hanging over AT&T Park.

Sanchez put 12 Bums out of their considerable misery (thank you, Frank and Jamie McCourt, the Bay Area loves ya) via the strikeout in those seven frames.

More importantly, the lefty never lost his arm slot for more than a pitch or two and consequently issued a fat doughnut in the free-pass column.

Four hits, including rookie Russell Mitchell’s first major-league hit/round-tripper, and a Juan Uribe error did conspire to plate two runs (one earned) for Los Angeles, but the 27-year-old had his filthy stuff working and it showed.

For those of you who like to see the cold, hard proof—7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K, and only 90 pitches.

Of course, the last Giant to toss a no-hitter is no stranger to losing ball games in which he surrendered a solitary earned run.

On this night however, with first place on the line, the San Francisco lumber would allow no such cruelty to befall its starter.

Aubrey Huff launched a Ted Lilly offering into the right-field seats during a four-run bottom of the third that gave the Gents a lead they would only bolster as the night progressed.

Posey would obliterate a hit-me slider five pitches later for back-to-back taters and the rout was on.

The good guys tacked on another run in the bottom for the fourth, two more in the fifth, and another deuce in the eighth for a clean 10-spot on the evening against only the two runs for LA (what a crying shame).

When the mushroom cloud had cleared, Huff was 2-for-4 with the two runs scored, three runs batted in, and a triple to go with the aforementioned bomb.

Posey chipped in a 2-for-5 effort with a run scored, two runs batted in, and a double to go with his aforementioned long ball.

And then there was the much-maligned shortstop.

Like most observers of the Orange and Black, I’ve taken my fair share of swipes at Renteria, but he was sublime in the finale of the season series with the Dodgers.

Not only did he pull a 4-for-5 rabbit out of the hat as the leadoff man, but he also scored two runs, scorched a triple of his own, and dropped a beautiful bunt down the third-base line just to exhibit his blinding speed.

With all that carnage, a perfect 3-for-3 turn at the dish from Guillen—with two runs scored, two runs batted in, and a home run as well—barely registers. Not to mention Freddy Sanchez’ game (2-for-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, 2 2B, 1 BB, and another fine defensive gem).

With 15 games left on the Giants‘ slate, 16 left on the Padres‘, and only one win separating the clubs, this baby is far from settled. But San Francisco took another important psychological step by turning the hunted into the hunter, even if only for a day.

One veil of invincibility was pierced at Petco Park when the lads skipped town with three wins from a four-game series. Another was pierced on Thursday, when Saint Diego’s consecutive streak atop the division came to an end.

There will almost surely be more jostling for position—probably right down to the final weekend of the year in October when the Padres come to the City—and let’s not forget about the Colorado Rockies, who are still firmly on the scent.

So, again, nobody should giddily take to the streets quite yet.

Nevertheless, the San Francisco bats are doing their part and the pitching staff is the best in the Bigs thus far in the month of September.

Sweetening the deal, the hometown nine just took two of three—and 10 of 18 on the season—from the despised Dodgers and its 83-64 record is the same as the one boasted by the Wild Card-leading Atlanta Braves.

In other words, the stretch run is starting to have that special feel.

And the San Francisco Giants are enjoying every moment of it.

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