Kuzul

Thanks to Marty Lurie of KNBR, I got the idea to write just how good the Giants are and how well certain players are performing compared to previous seasons.
As August begins, the Giants begin a difficult two months to catch the first place Padres. Starting off the second half going 8-1 in the division and 13-4 overall, they’re the hottest team in baseball. Giants’ players are peaking at the right time and this team is having fun again as they fight for a post-season berth.

It’s been an incredible year so far, and fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming months. Although we all hope to see the Giants keep winning and overtake San Diego, the Giants can also fall back. Up to this point, this team has far exceeded expectations.

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There are two Giants players that add spark to an almost dead line-up. Andres Torres gives the crowd excitement and the team some speed and patience at the plate. Juan Uribe leads the team in home runs and exhibits a stronger arm at shortstop than counterpart Edgar Renteria. Both Torres and Uribe have played better than their overpaid veteran every day starters, and should be inserted in Bochy’s line-up card every game.  

Juan Uribe is the obvious start over Renteria because Renteria has been hurt a lot of the year. Despite Renteria hitting .326 AVG and a .372 OBP compared to Uribe’s .272/3.43, Uribe should get the start because the Giants need more guys knocking runners home and not just hitting to get on base. Also, Uribe displays the most power on the team, and that’s a rarity.  

Uribe’s six home runs and 27 RBI’s lead the team and he’s pretty close in runs scored. Why bench the leading run producer when Renteria gets healthy? Is it just for the money?  

The other position that should be changed is at center field. Aaron Rowand may be an okay CF, but journeyman Andres Torres presents the better option. In the field, Torres covers much more than Rowand and will let Schierholtz play more towards the RF line than the gap.  

At the plate, Torres is a much better fit at the top of the line-up. Torres has an AVG/OBP/SLG of .296/.386/.496 compared to Rowand’s .236/.272/.417. Just from that, Torres should get the nod.  

In 30 fewer AB’s, Torres has the same amount of hits, more doubles, less strikeouts, and more walks. How many times has Rowand gone up there, take hacks at three pitches, and sit right back down on the bench? At lead-off, he should at least take the first strike and make the pitcher throw over the plate. And I say that because Rowand isn’t the Albert Pujols of the Giants.  

In the rest of the NL West, every other CF is fast and gets on base, except for Tony Gwynn Jr. of the Padres. What Bochy and the organization should come to realize is do what wins, not just for money.  Keep Uribe at SS and Torres at CF, and move Rowand over to left field. Torres should bat lead off and Uribe at five and Rowand in the eight spot.  

The Giants should change the line-up to try and win games and stay consistent instead of constantly moving two of the most explosive players. Consistency is key, and at the rate they’re going, the only thing consistent the Giants will have is .500.  

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Do the Giants really need pitching to overtake the pesky Padres?  

Really?  

It appears so, because I saw Lincecum struggle through his second start in a row, and the bullpen blow another lead that would have given him six wins.  

Sure, Lincecum struggled, but the entire staff needs improvement.  

My main point of emphasis is the wild pitches.  

The Giants let another game get away with another WP thrown to give the Dbacks the lead. It’s happened too many times already this season, and not just a few are at fault.  

Guillermo Mota and Barry Zito have both thrown four.

Jeremy Affeldt and Todd Wellemeyer have both thrown three.

Waldis Joaquin is at fault for two.

Matt Cain, Dan Runzler, Tim Lincecum, and Jonathon Sanchez have all thrown one.

Twenty wild pitches in 40 games?  

That’s ridiculous for a staff that (on paper) looks to be the best in the NL.  

This means every other game, there’s a good chance Zito or Affeldt will throw one past Molina and give the go-ahead run away.  

Not all 20 have yielded runs, but it does present cause for concern. Starting with Zito, I love watching him throw the curve, and I understand that it can get wild.  But it’s up to him and the catcher to realize what the count is, what the situation is, and how confident he is with that pitch on a given day.  

Lincecum and Sanchez we’ve seen can be wild youngsters, Sanchez more often than the former.  

With Lincecum winning back-to-back Cy Youngs, I’m not going to tell him what he needs to do, but someone should talk to them and get them more focused and committed on each pitch.  

Jeremy Affeldt is having all sorts of problems this year. In just 17 innings, he’s given up 15 hits and five earned runs. On top of his three wild pitches, he’s also hit two batters.

The Giants’ woes are not solely on the offense (believe it or not).  

The bullpen has blown four wins for Lincecum—and the game three other times.  

There’s a lot of frustration when the team can only put up a couple runs every day, but the pitching staff must re-focus and concentrate on the remaining month and a half until the break.  

With Sanchez coming back, Renteria and DeRosa coming back soon, and Pablo Sandoval getting healthy, the pitchers should get a renewed confidence with some spark adding to the lineup.  

Because the hitters and fans are always thankful for the fantastic pitching. 

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