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The Los Angeles Dodgers recently got their big sluggers back in the lineup after a rash of injuries sidelined Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Mark Ellis for significant amounts of time.  Prior to their injuries, the Dodgers stormed out of the gates and had the best record in the majors over the first two months of the season. 

Eventually the injuries caught up with them as they relinquished their hold on first place when they were swept by the Giants in late June. That injury riddled Dodgers offense was so anemic that it didn’t score a run in the entire series. 

Fast-forward to Saturday afternoon at AT&T Park and it’s a completely different story. With Kemp, Ethier and Ellis back in the lineup, the Dodgers not only look like the team that started the year on fire, but with the addition of Hanley Ramirez, they look like a team that is ready to take off down the stretch.

Just to be clear, I understand the Giants are currently in first place.  I also understand that the Giants still possess the best starting pitching in the division, but both seem like they are about to change. 

Ted Lilly, who’s been on the disabled list since late May with inflammation in his left shoulder, is set for a rehab start in Rancho Cucamonga tomorrow and could be back with the Dodgers soon.  

Additionally, the Dodgers are the odds on favorite in the Ryan Dempster sweepstakes, which will likely get done before the trading deadline.  

As it stands right now, the Dodgers pitching staff has a better ERA than the Giants, and is right behind them in WHIP and opponent’s batting average. 

If the Dodgers get Lilly back and are able to acquire Dempster, their starting rotation will not only be one of the strongest and deepest in the league, they could quickly surpass the Giants pitching as the best staff in the West. 

When you compare their offensive numbers it’s likely to be even more of a dramatic turn in the upcoming months.  In large part due to their injuries, the Dodgers currently trail the Giants in almost every major offensive category. 

The Giants have a higher team batting average, more home runs and RBI, more hits and runs scored, which explains their higher slugging percentage and OPS.

With a healthy Ellis, Kemp, Ethier and now Ramirez, if the Giants don’t make a move to add a big bat in the next few days, that is bound to change, probably within a matter of weeks. 

Sabean did answer the Dodgers move earlier in the week with a move of his own on Friday.  He traded for Marco Scutaro, the Rockies second baseman who’s currently batting .271 with four home runs and 30 RBI.

Not exactly the big splash the Giants faithful were looking for and definitely not the type of firepower that can combat a bat like Ramirez.

Scutaro was brought in for a variety of reasons, mainly to add depth to the bench, spell guys in the field and because they could afford him.

While the Dodgers new ownership has green lighted General Manager Ned Colletti to go out and spend big money on available players, Giants ownership has not shown a propensity for the same type of spending.

Compounding the problem is the Giants are also experiencing some key injuries in their lineup.  With Pablo Sandoval joining Hector Sanchez on the disabled list Saturday morning, the Giants are missing two guys who can drive the ball and get on base. 

Sabean probably has another move or two up his sleeve, but it’s not likely to be a big name like a Dempster or Hunter Pence. 

Instead, the Giants front office seem content to follow the 2010 blueprint, one in which they battled for the division all the way down until the last day. 

At the time, Sabean was not heralded for his moves that year either, as he picked up Mike Fontenot, Cody Ross, Pat Burrell, Ramon Ramirez and Javier Lopez. 

The Giants relied on their pitching, timely hitting, their play at home and battled to the bitter end.

The difference this year is the opposition. In 2010, the first place Padres faded away in the end, and really played above their ability all season. 

The Dodgers are not only more talented than the 2010 Padres, they seem like they are just starting to gain confidence in one another as they realize their potential.

The Giants starting pitching and the way they dominate at home will at least keep them in the playoff mix all season.  Sabean adding another bat and potentially another arm in the bullpen will help them beat the bad teams they should handle.

Bruce Bochy said Saturday that he thought the division would be decided in late September, but if the Dodgers continue to gel, make another blockbuster deal, and take off down the stretch, the Giants will be focused on winning the Wild Card by September 1. 

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The Giants open up a six-game road trip with a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves tonight, followed by a three-game series in Philadelphia over the weekend. 

The trip will mark the last time the Giants head to the East Coast this year, at least in the regular season. With Atlanta currently leading the wild-card race and 2.5 games back in the NL East, the matchup could be a preview of a postseason series in October. 

After getting pummeled in their last road trip to Washington and Pittsburgh, the Giants know they must come out and prove they can play well away from San Francisco. 

With some glaring issues that are often magnified on the road, the Giants will need to prove they can overcome these deficiencies if they are going to win the NL West.

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Madison Bumgarner (11-5) opened up the second half of the season for the San Francisco Giants on Friday night with a solid performance, holding the Houston Astros to just one run over seven innings while striking out five in the Giants’ 5-1 win. 

In command from the beginning, Bumgarner had a one-hit shutout through six. With Chris Snyder up and two out in the seventh, Bumgarner made his only mistake of the night. 

On a 3-1 count, Bumgarner threw a fastball that caught too much of the plate. The Astros catcher turned on it and drove a towering home run over the left field wall. 

That was one of two hits Bumgarner would surrender and the only run as he lowered his ERA to 3.15. The 22-year-old earned his 11th win of the year and has now won 15 of his last 18 starts at AT&T Park with a stellar 1.81 ERA. 

Bumgarner wasn’t the only Giant who was in command early on in the game. Fresh off his start in the All-Star game on Tuesday, Buster Posey slammed a two-run home run in the bottom of the first. 

On a 2-0 count, Posey slammed an 89 mph fastball from Wandy Rodriguez (7-7) over the center field wall, a majestic shot that was measured at 448 feet. 

The Giants would add two more in the second inning on three straight singles by Angel Pagan, Brandon Belt and Joaquin Arias, giving Bumgarner the early four-run cushion which helped him settle in. 

After the game Bumgarner talked about pitching the first game after the break and how he would react after the layoff and change in routine.

“I felt pretty good, I was kind of nervous I didn’t know how I was going to feel after three days off…but it didn’t really feel like I missed anything.”

Bruce Bochy had nothing but praise for Bumgarner after the game, commenting on his performance and his dominance at home. 

“He’s thrown so well here, it’s a case where he’s feeding off the fans…that gets him going and keeps him pumped up.” Bochy continued, “This kid for 22 years old, it’s pretty incredible what he does, and the poise he has out there.”

The Giants added their fifth and final run in the eighth inning when Pablo Sandoval turned into a one-man highlight show. After legging out a one-out triple with a dramatic headfirst slide into third base, Sandoval tagged up on Pagan’s shallow line drive to left field.  

With Sandoval coming in like a freight train, Snyder never could get a handle on the ball as “the Panda” bowled over the Astros catcher, jarring the ball loose.   

Sandoval, a former catcher, downplayed his decision to run into Snyder after the game, saying “It was the only opportunity to be safe, I saw the throw coming and he didn’t handle the ball, so I just pushed him a little bit.”

Bochy, who’s also a former catcher, made light of Sandoval’s collision at the plate. 

“That’s a lot of mass coming into home plate, but he scored and that’s a big run. As you saw they were coming back…it’s always good to get that fourth run and give you a cushion and some margin of error.”

When asked about Sandoval legging out the triple, Bochy joked, “Yeah, I was getting on him, he hit a triple in the All-Star game and we hadn’t seen one.”

Another bright spot in the win was Santiago Casilla’s outing in the ninth. After a shaky two weeks leading up to the break, Casilla came in, located his pitches and looked in control.

The Giants continue their three-game series with the Astros tomorrow night as they send Tim Lincecum (3-10) to the hill to face Houston’s Lucas Harrell (7-6); game time is 6:05 p.m. PT, 9:05 p.m. ET.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand. 

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In a week that started with four straight dominate performances by San Francisco Giants starters, the tables have turned over the past two days. Nearly getting shut out by Mike Leake (3-5) in a complete game effort last night, Mat Latos (7-2) echoed his performance, allowing only one run as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Giants 2-1.

Latos, formerly of the division rival San Diego Padres, has had quite a bit of success pitching against the Giants in the past. Earlier this year, on April 24th in Cincinnati, Latos went seven scoreless innings against the Giants as the Reds won the game 9-2.

Saturday’s win was Latos’s seventh win of the season, allowing only two hits, a one-out double in the third to Brandon Crawford and a one-out triple in the ninth inning to Brandon Belt.

Belt would score on Gregor Blanco’s ground out to short, putting the Giants within one run of tying the game, but it never felt that close. The next hitter was Ryan Theriot, and with two outs, Theriot left the bat on his shoulder as he watched the called third strike sail across the plate.

With the win, Latos improved to 4-3 in 11 games lifetime against the Giants with a 2.19 ERA. At AT&T Park, his ERA is even lower at 1.67 over six games.

Barry Zito (6-6) ended up losing the game, but he pitched well. Allowing only one run over six innings, Zito pitched himself in and out of jams all day. In the fourth inning, Zito surrendered his only run, when, with two outs and a runner on first base, he walked three straight.

Zito hadn’t issued a free pass in the first three frames, and then suddenly couldn’t find the strike zone.

When asked after the game about why the sudden loss of control, Bochy remarked, “occasionally he does that, I thought he was pitching smart though, he wasn’t giving in. At times when he would get into a jam, other than the bases loaded walk, I think he probably got a little quick there with men on base when he was in the stretch.”

Bruce Bochy commenting further about the overall outing he received from his pitcher was very positive.

“It was a good effort, he got off a couple innings and was battling himself and his command, but to go six innings and give up just one run, that’s a great job.”

Coming off seven scoreless innings against the Dodgers on Monday, the first of four consecutive shutouts pitched by the Giants staff, Zito pitched well enough to win but didn’t get any run support. It was a case of the other guy was just better, and Bochy had much to say about Latos after the game.

“He had command of all his pitches, threw a lot of strikes, and used all of them (pitches). We knew what we were going into, but when a good pitcher’s on top of his game you do all you can to compete and try and get some runs, but we just had a tough time today.”

Zito echoed Bochy’s comments when asked about Latos, “he was definitely pounding the strike zone more than we’re used to seeing. He had his good rhythm out there the whole time, we couldn’t really get to him except in the ninth a little bit.”

Zito finished by saying, “you just got tip your cap to him, go out tomorrow and try and split a series.”

The Giants wrap up the series and their seven-game home stand tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. To salvage Game 4 and earn a split, the Giants send Ryan Vogelsong (7-3) to the mound against Bronson Arroyo (3-5) for the Reds.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

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On a relatively slow news day in the sports world on Monday, one would expect that an upcoming three-game series matching two of the most storied franchises in baseball would be the top story on ESPN’s featured Sportscenter at 6pm EST. 

The fact the two teams are one and two in their division, and the two biggest markets on the West Coast might have some cache, but not to the execs at ESPN. 

The San Francisco Giants and the visiting first-place Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t even make the tease in the opening storylines, let alone the lead story.  

Four days after LeBron James and the Miami Heat won their first NBA title, Sportscenter led with the victory celebration and parade that took place today in Miami. 

OK, fine, it’s King James and the new “dream team”, certainly the Giants and Dodgers would be up next. 

Story number two? 32-year-old Venus Williams, who has been battling an auto-immune deficiency is defeated at Wimbledon in the first round.

Fine, it’s kind of breaking news, it may be the end of the road for Williams, I get it.  Giants-Dodgers next, right?  Oh, back to LeBron for excerpts of the in-depth conversation that I’ve already seen. 

Keep in mind, if the New York Yankees were getting ready to play the Boston Red Sox, even if they weren’t battling for first place, it would’ve been teased three different ways prior to Sportscenter even beginning. 

ESPN would’ve designated the first five minutes of the broadcast to the matchup, going live to someone in the stadium, and then flashing back to some hack rundown about the history of the “greatest rivalry in sports.”  

Does ESPN really believe that the Yankees and Red Sox are worthy of so much attention, but the Giants and Dodgers can’t even get a mention in their top stories. Do the execs at ESPN think the Yankees and Red Sox are a national story, but two teams that used to battle each other in New York, and then moved to the West coast where they’ve continued the heated rivalry, isn’t?

Of course, it isn’t the first time this has happened. It will happen many more times, and then it will be football season, and it will be even worse.  

I understand that I’m not breaking news with this story, just venting about a persistent problem that nobody seems to care about.  I know the suits at ESPN have heard the whining for years and it clearly has changed very little.

One solution was to move the later Sportscenter to Los Angeles, essentially throwing a bone to us mopey West Coasters, but when you still lead off with LeBron, it’s not doing much for me. 

Essentially, I’m part of the problem. As much as I whine about it, I still tune into Sportscenter every day along with the many other programming ESPN offers. Why doesn’t ESPN listen to my complaints? Because they don’t have to, and yet I keep tuning in. 

So unless you have some great solution as to how to fix the problem, which I’m guessing you don’t, thanks for letting a fellow West Coaster rant about something that will probably never change.

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Bruce Bochy, general manager of the San Francisco Giants, is clearly one of the most underrated coaches in all of baseball.  Ranking third in wins among active managers, Bochy has flown under the radar for most of his managerial career, which is absolutely by design.

Never seeking the limelight or creating a controversy, Bochy almost always keeps a cool demeanor and level head.  Known as “Boch” (Boach) in baseball circles, he rarely gets kicked out of a game, seldom reacts negatively to a reporter’s questions and doesn’t have the post-game tirade highlights that a lot of his contemporaries are known for.

All of this explains how a manager—who ranks 27th in all-time wins and will likely be 23rd behind Earl Weaver by the end of the year—is rarely talked about when discussing the great managers in the game. 

The two active managers currently ahead of Bochy are Jim Leyland, already considered one of the great managers of all time, and Dusty Baker, who always garners national attention. 

Now I’m not saying that Bochy should be mentioned as one of the great managers of all time, but he should get some consideration as one of the best managers in the game today.

Bochy’s career record is 1,394 wins and 1,403 losses over 18 seasons.  He is 122 wins behind Baker in one less year and 222 wins behind Leyland in three less years. 

If the Giants played .500 baseball over the next three years, Bochy would have more wins than Leyland’s current total in the same amount of years. 

Moreover, Bochy takes a hit because he still has a sub-.500 record, in part due to managing in San Diego for so many years.  Leyland also has a sub-.500 record, at 1,616 wins and 1,617 losses, but when historians discuss his record, the bad Pittsburgh years are brought up. 

Maybe it’s because he took them to the World Series in 1998, but for a lot of Bochy’s Padre years, the team was not spending money on free agents and there wasn’t a big commitment from the organization to win. 

Baker is 122 wins over .500, at 1,516 wins and 1,394 losses, over 19 seasons.  His winning percentage is better than Bochy’s, and he’s won the Manager of the Year Award three times (93, 97, 00) versus Bochy’s one time (96).   

That being said, I’m sure Baker would trade all three of his Manager of the Year Awards for the one title Bochy does own, the 2010 World Series Championship Trophy—the first ever for the San Francisco Giants.

It’s probably especially bitter for Baker since he was in position to be the first San Francisco Giants manager to win a World Series, but it all fell apart in Games 6 and 7 of the 2002 World Series.

Leyland also has three manager of the year awards (90, 92, 06) and has his own World Series Championship in 1997 with the Florida Marlins.  

Considering the World Series title coupled with his two pennants (97, 06), Leyland and Bochy’s careers look very similar.  Bochy has won two pennants and a World Series, and their win totals are very comparable over the same amount of games. 

Interestingly, I would bet if you asked someone who lives in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or Seattle who the best five managers currently in the game are, most assuredly Leyland will be at the top of the list, Baker will likely be in there somewhere and Bochy’s name will not come up. 

Even more amazing, Bochy only needs to manage two or three more years to pass the likes of the great Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda and the legendary Ralph Houk.  

At the age of 57, Bochy is 10 years younger than Leyland and five years younger than Baker.  Who knows how long any of the three will manage and where they will end up on the all-time list?  

What I know for sure, right now, is that Bochy doesn’t get the credit for the numbers he’s already achieved, and I’m sure he’s just fine with it.

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Prior to Saturday’s afternoon game vs. the Texas Rangers at AT&T Park, Giants manager Bruce Bochy was asked numerous questions about Pablo Sandoval.   Affectionately known as the “Panda,” Sandoval was activated from the 15-day disabled list today after missing 35 games while rehabbing from surgery on a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist. 

While there were a number of questions surrounding Sandoval’s rehab and availability to hit from both sides, Bochy was asked if he appreciated Sandoval’s recent comments about taking his fitness seriously. 

Pulling no punches, Bochy responded immediately, saying, “There comes a time when you don’t want to hear it, you need action, and that’s got to happen now.” 

Bochy didn’t stop there, as he elaborated on the weight Sandoval has apparently lost this week, “That has to be consistent, it can’t (just) be for three or four days, or a week, it’s gotta be for the season.”

This is not the first time Bochy and the Giants have taken issue with Sandoval’s weight.  After lighting it up in 2009, his first full season in the big leagues, a heavier Sandoval struggled in 2010. 

By some reports, Sandoval had put on 25-30 lbs, and by the stretch run to the World Series, his hitting and his fielding had suffered.

After finishing the season with only 13 home runs, and a .268 average, Bochy and Brian Sabean sat Sandoval down and told him he needed to commit to his fitness and conditioning or he would find himself as the odd man out.

The talk seemed to work, as Sandoval spent most of the offseason in Arizona working on conditioning and his overall weight.  When Sandoval showed up to spring training in 2011, he was leaner and by his own account, in the best shape of his life.

The conditioning clearly paid off on the field, as Sandoval hit .315 last year with 23 home runs.  Interestingly, prior to the wrist injury this year, Sandoval was hitting .316 with five home runs in 24 games.  

Other than five errors at third base, Sandoval wasn’t showing signs that he was reverting back to his 2010 issues, but he’s obviously put on a significant amount of weight, and the Giants are clearly concerned.

Commenting further about Pablo getting into playing shape and staying there, Bochy noted that “That’s what he needs to do, that’s what we want to see, and he knows that’s what he needs to do.” 

Pablo will start today at third base and bat third in the lineup.  Bochy also commented that he hadn’t been able to sit down with Sandoval since he arrived from Fresno but would definitely get with him later. 

With Melky Cabrera sidelined for a few days with a strained hamstring, the Giants need Sandoval to come in and provide the same spark he provided the offense prior to his stint on the disabled list. 

If Sandoval struggles at the plate or in the field, you can bet Bochy will be receiving an increasing amount of questions about Sandoval’s weight.

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On a day after scoring eight runs on 15 hits, and 19 runs over the last three games, the Giants surging offense was brought to a screeching halt Friday evening. Scattering just five hits over eight innings, Matt Harrison (8-3) pitched a complete-game shutout for the Rangers while Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton homered to beat the Giants 5-0.    

In their first meeting since Game 5 of the 2010 World Series, the Giants sent Barry Zito (5-3) to the mound to face a potent Ranger’s lineup. Coming off back-to-back wins, Zito had only given up two runs in his last 15 and a third innings.

It took only two pitches Friday evening before Zito gave up his first run as Ian Kinsler led off the game with a bomb to left field that landed 15 rows up the bleacher. 

The Rangers were ahead 2-0 in the fifth when Hamilton came to the plate with one out and nobody on.  With the count 1-1, Zito hung a curveball that Hamilton crushed to one of the deepest parts of the park in right center, clearing the wall beyond the 421 marker with ease. Hamilton’s home run was his 22nd, which leads the major leagues.

Along with the two home runs, the Rangers knocked out 14 hits including three doubles. One of the doubles came from the Rangers center fielder Craig Gentry, who had a career night going 5-5 with two RBI. 

The Giants offense was baffled and off-balance all night. Harrison not only induced the Giants into 15 groundouts, he was sawing Giant hitters off all night as there were multiple broken bats flying across the infield and two into the stands.  

With tonight’s 5-0 loss, the Giants suffered their first shutout of the season. They also lost their first game at home to the Texas Rangers since June 26th, 1998, at Candlestick Park, breaking a 13-game home-winning streak.

Additionally, the fielding issues continued for the Giants as they added to their major league leading total of 55 when Joaquin Arias made a throwing error in the first inning. 

Bruce Bochy acknowledged before the game that Arias was being used a lot, was tired, and could use a day off. That day off could be tomorrow as the Giants’ front office wasted no time after the game making a move to allow the team to activate Pablo Sandoval from Class Triple-A Fresno for tomorrow’s game. 

Sandoval, who has been rehabbing from a broken hamate bone in his wrist, slammed two home runs in Friday night’s game in Fresno, making the decision pretty easy for the Giants front office.

To make room for Sandoval, Brett Pill was optioned back to Fresno.

The Giants send Ryan Vogelsong (4-2) to the mound tomorrow afternoon against Scott Feldman (0-4), as the Giants try and even the three-game series at one a piece, game time is 1:05 p.m. 

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Tim Lincecum was the king of aces during the Giants‘ 2010 postseason run. 

Going head to head with the best aces in the league, he was 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA over 37 innings.

It was vintage Lincecum as he dominated with velocity and control during all three rounds, capping his performance with a closeout victory against the Texas Rangers and Cliff Lee in Game 5 of the World Series.

The stats also show that Lincecum finished the 2010 regular season with 16 wins, an ERA of 3.04 and 231 strikeouts over 212-plus innings.

Lincecum had a good season by most accounts, but the regular season numbers don’t tell the entire story; in fact, if the Giants had not overcome the Padres and made their run through the postseason, one of the stories of the offseason would have been Lincecum’s subpar year.

Subpar is definitely a relative term when you finish the previous two seasons with back-to-back Cy Young awards and a .733 winning percentage and over 500 strikeouts combined.

To say that Lincecum has set the bar high is an understatement, but fans should not forget about the regular season struggles Lincecum endured just because the Giants won the World Series and Lincecum was a major part of it.
 
The inconsistency he experienced with his mechanics, coupled with the loss of velocity and control, could be the warning signs that all Giants fans have feared is the inevitable. At some point, Lincecum’s pitching arm, which is attached to his165-pound frame, is not going to be able to sustain his above average fastball and his well-documented violent pitching motion.
 
The question for most baseball analysts is not if, but when and how effective can Lincecum be without an electric fastball.

2010 brought out the best and the worst of Lincecum’s big league career.

Obviously, the best was displayed at the most opportune time as Lincecum showed the entire country on the biggest stage what he is capable of.

With the season ending the way it did, the worst slump of his career has temporarily been forgotten, as Lincecum went 0-5 in August surrendering 33 hits and 22 earned runs in 25 1/3 innings, plus walking 13 for a 7.82 ERA. He also surrendered five homers, his most in any month since he became a major-league player in 2007.

Even worse than the awful numbers Lincecum put up during his August slump was the loss of his velocity and control which ultimately led to a loss of confidence on the mound.

It was painful for Giants fans to watch as Lincecum starting tinkering with his mechanics, his signature motion changed, he wore his socks different, but the result remained the same. He was shelled outing after outing.
 
There were multiple rumors surrounding the slump. Perhaps Lincecum was experiencing a serious case of dead arm due to all of the innings he had thrown over his first three seasons.   

Another rumor stated that Lincecum had stopped training hard and his diet was lacking of proper nutrients.

Whatever the case, the slump displayed a dazed and confused Lincecum as his pinpoint control was gone, the sharp break in his curve ball was missing and his fastball was topping out at 89 miles per hour.

Anyone who has followed Lincecum’s career since he came up in 2007 knows that Lincecum has steadily been losing velocity on his fastball every year. What used to be a consistent fastball in the mid to high 90’s has become a fastball that regularly clocks in the low to mid 90s.

Part of the velocity change is maturity as Lincecum purposely chooses when he wants to dial it up depending on the count and hitter, though I’m positive an August fastball registering in the high 80’s was not by choice.

Thankfully, his development and maturity have also allowed him to pitch out of tough situations without his best stuff, relying on his deceiving changeup and knowledge of hitters.

More and more Lincecum has been forced to rely on his control and pitching savvy as his ability to simply blow guys away is not always available to him.

The August slump wasn’t the first slump of Lincecum’s career; it wasn’t even the first of 2010.  After a 4-0 April with a 1.27 ERA, I, like every other Giants fan, had already etched Lincecum’s name on his third consecutive Cy Young award.

Then came May, a month in which Lincecum’s ERA was 4.95 as he started six games and recorded a 1-2 record.

Lincecum seemed to recover in June with a 3-1 record, but he still had an ERA over three.  More importantly, he gave up the same amount of hits (33) that he surrendered in his worst months of the season, May and August. If you factor in July’s total (42), between May and August, Lincecum was giving up over a hit an inning with a 4.72 ERA.

Thankfully for all Giant fans Lincecum recorded a 5-1 record in September with a 1.94 ERA, surrendering only 31 hits over 42 innings.  

His velocity was back in the 91 to 94 miles per hour range, his control was excellent and his confidence followed suit.

Lincecum’s September, coupled with his postseason dominance has all but washed his regular season woes away for the average fan, but it shouldn’t be forgotten.

Lincecum’s struggles in 2010 were not just your average slump that every pitcher experiences throughout their career, they were more than that. They were the signs of incredible wear and tear on an arm and body that have been asked to exceed their average potential on every outing.

Lincecum’s first four years in the big leagues reminds me of another back-to-back Cy Young Award winner (three total), Pedro Martinez. Martinez came up with the Dodgers in 1992 as a 160 pound, hard throwing right-handed pitcher who consistently was clocked in the 97 to 98 miles per hour range.

After many seasons of mowing guys down with his electric fastball, Martinez’s velocity started to drop down to the low to mid 90’s. The hard throwing phenom also started to go through bouts of dead arm and eventually had to undergo surgery for a torn rotator cuff.

Martinez was able to adjust his game, and he became a masterful pitcher, changing speeds and location, which allowed him to remain as one of the top pitchers in the league for over a decade before his velocity had dropped to the mid to high 80’s and his arm strength was gone.

Giants fans can only hope they are as lucky with Lincecum.

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“You heard it, mark it down, (Giants) repeat.”  Those were the famous (or infamous) words of Brian Wilson in the last seconds of Showtime’s three-minute trailer promoting the upcoming reality series about the World Champs and their quest to defend the title, scheduled to air on April 13th. 

When I first heard about Showtime’s plan to showcase the San Francisco Giants in a behind-the-scenes circus that would accentuate the characters and stories that led the ball club to their first title on the West Coast, I have to admit I was skeptical. 

First of all, the focus in the clubhouse should absolutely be about repeating.  Even with the offseason additions the Phillies made, which bolstered an already daunting pitching staff including four legitimate aces, the Giants’ pitching rotation sits backseat to no one, in either league.  Barring any major injury within the rotation, the Giants are the odds on favorite to win the West—no team wants to face the combination of Lincecum and Cain in a playoff series.

Secondly, one of the great things about last year’s team was that they were a bunch of unknowns who continued to battle, building amazing confidence and chemistry through each torturous game.  As soon as I heard about the plans to market the players and their journey, I was certain the real bonding that took place between the guys, in overcoming a season of adversity to win it all, would be wiped away by producers drumming up storylines, and cameras focusing on sensational shallow behavior.

Well, after watching the Showtime trailer about nine times back to back, forget everything you just read because I am in.  I don’t even have Showtime, but I will be adding it before the show starts.  I’m not sure if it was the unmarked police car that Brian Wilson has been driving around Scottsdale over the past month, or Andres Torres working out in jeans with no shirt, no shoes, and throwing cinder blocks over his head (seriously, cinder blocks over his head), but I am already hooked. 

The trailer starts with Lincecum in his car, sporting his hoodie and shades, stating “here we go, just another day leaving paradise.”  Then the music starts in and the goose bumps follow.  After a quick SHOWTIME PRESENTS graphic, they start to unveil the cast of this new unscripted drama and you begin to realize how crazy this series is going to be. 

Wilson (BW) stars as the quirky closer who comes off as the real life Rick Vaughn, from the movie Major League, but even funnier and full of antics.  Sandoval (Kung Fu Panda) plays the fan favorite who spent the entire off season working out, getting back in shape to regain his status as one of the best hitters on the team.  Burrell, the local boy who came home and made good, plays the cool veteran who commands respect in the clubhouse.   Tejada is cast as the new guy, with GM Brian Sabean questioning how he will fit in with the team.  Oh, the drama. 

With Cody Ross, Sergio Romo, Barry Zito, and Madison Bumgarner, the stories go on and on—and I didn’t even showcase Aubrey Huff or Buster Posey, the best producers for the Giants last year.  I was surprised that manager Bruce Bochy played a major part of the trailer.  He provided a lot of the background buildup, with the shot of him deep sea fishing on his boat in Florida, and even the Tony Soprano shot of him lighting his cigar. 

I can’t wait for this show.  My only hope is that by mid-June, I don’t become more interested in the series than watching the actual games because the team got off to a bad start, is 8 games back, and on a five-game losing streak as a result of horrible chemistry and constant drama in the clubhouse.

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