Kuzul

The Giants entered their third 2010 postseason series as the underdog, again. Everybody was told the Giants can’t score runs. The Rangers will light up Giants pitching.

In two games, the Giants have outscored the Rangers 20-7. San Francisco had only scored 30 runs in their first 10 games leading up to the World Series.

The most glaring problem for Texas has been their miscues and the Giants’ ability to capitalize on them. San Francisco has built the entire postseason on taking advantage of miscues.

The Giants received a victory after Braves second baseman Brooks Conrad committed three errors in one game. They continued to take advantage of errors against the Phillies, mostly bobbles by Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.

With the Rangers, they started to pile on the runs by hitting the ball towards Vladimir Guerrero. He looks older than his 35-year-old body says he should be. Guerrero having played a mere 16 games in right field did not help the Rangers.

The implosion of the Rangers bullpen has also been a huge factor. On Thursday night, the Giants led 2-0 going into the eighth inning. The Rangers were able to get the first two outs but then allowed the Giants to bat around.

Much of this was keyed on walks and location of pitches.

Whatever the case, the Giants continue to take advantage of mistakes and limit the opportunities of their opponents. But there is more to their success against Texas.

The pitching the Giants have seen prior to the World Series was some of the best pitching in all of baseball.

In the NLDS and NLCS, the Giants faced Derek Lowe twice, Tim Hudson, Roy Halladay twice, Roy Oswalt twice and Cole Hamels. Tommy Hanson is no slouch either.

Their bullpens are just as good. Jonny Venters, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Craig Kimbrel.

To say the least, by name, the Giants have seen the best.

Then came the Rangers and Cliff Lee who had not lost in the postseason, ever. We saw how that worked out. C.J. Wilson came as advertised.

The drop off in quality pitching is huge when you think about what the Giants have already seen, and this is why they have been so successful.

Because they have seen pitchers that make so few mistakes, when they face guys who are not as sharp, they are able to attack more easily.

They have started to wait out the Rangers pitching, letting them make the mistakes.

A perfect image of that was the eighth inning of Game 2. On a normal day, in a normal game, I would not have been surprised to see Juan Uribe or Edgar Renteria strike out swinging on a pitch a few inches outside or in the dirt.

They were patient (wait, these guys patient?) and waited for their pitch. In Uribe’s case, he was able to take a walk, another thing he does not do often.

The Giants have scored 20 runs with Buster Posey and Pat Burrell going a combined 2-for-14 in the first two games of the World Series. If these guys heat up in any way, the Giants will be in very good shape heading into Texas.

San Francisco will have big questions to answer before the start of Game 3. Who will be the DH? Will Pablo Sandoval play against the right-handers Colby Lewis and Tommy Hunter?

Will there be a game that actually involves torture?

Aubrey Huff has offered his services as the DH. Burrell would rather not relive the debacle that was his career as a DH. How important will defense be?

Travis Ishikawa or Nate Schierholtz could also end up in the lineup. Maybe Sandoval plays third, Uribe at short, and Renteria is the DH. Bruce Bochy will have plenty of options.

The Giants are in a great position heading into Arlington with a 2-0 lead in the series. Eleven teams have come back from a 2-0 deficit to win the World Series. A team has never come back from a 3-0 deficit to win.

Game 3 is a crucial game for both teams and is a make-or-break game for Texas.

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It’s no secret San Francisco is basking in its NLCS glorious victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. You can’t walk down a street in San Francisco without seeing someone with some sort of Giants merchandise.

The Giants Dugout Stores have lines flowing for, what seem like, miles. A person could walk from AT&T Park to the Ferry Building and back and the line would not have moved. Giants fever is extremely contagious.

But for all the fever, we have to remember there is still a series to be played. Game 1 is tomorrow night and the American League Champion Texas Rangers await.

Game 1: Tim Lincecum vs. Cliff Lee

Game 2: Matt Cain vs. C.J. Wilson

Game 3: Jonathan Sanchez vs. Colby Lewis

Game 4: Madison Bumgarner vs. Tommy Hunter

Game 5*: Tim Lincecum vs. Cliff Lee

Game 6-7*: TBD

How much of the Giants’ former catcher Bengie Molina’s knowledge of the pitchers help the Rangers? Probably not that much. Molina can tell them all he wants, but they still have to hit the ball.

Will Buster Posey and Pat Burrell begin to hit? Will Cody Ross continue his MVP type play? There are many questions to be answered and let’s start at the beginning.

The Game 1 matchup is the most intriguing because of the success of both pitchers. Cliff Lee has never lost in the postseason or to the Giants. Tim Lincecum has been his normal dominant self in the postseason.

In Lee’s previous three starts against the Giants, he is 3-0 with a 1.12 ERA. Now this Giants team is a much different team from the one he saw last year. That team has inept offensively and had no pop in the lineup.

If the Giants take a similar approach to Lee, as they did to Roy Halladay, they will fare pretty well against the Rangers.

The designated hitter, or lack thereof in San Francisco, will take its toll on Texas. In Game 1, they are starting Vladamir Guerrero in right field.

As most of the National League can attest, the right field at AT&T Park is like playing centerfield. Many have to play well toward the right centerfield gap to prevent anything from entering Triples Alley. With Vlad’s limited range, this creates a significant advantage for the Giants.

Guerrero has been limited to only 61 at bats as the right fielder. In those 61 at bats, he had an average of .246 with a .767 OPS.

The Giants crowd will create all the home field advantage the team needs. The Texas Rangers have never won a game at AT&T Park, if they take Game 1 from Cliff Lee, they will carry that momentum to a 2-0 series lead heading to Arlington.

The Giants will struggle to contain the Rangers full lineup in Arlington. Guerrero will be back in his normal DH spot. Nelson Cruz will be able to get his arms extended against the Giants’ two lefties in the rotation.

The Rangers have a predominately right-handed lineup which most would think favor Texas against Sanchez and Bumgarner. The answer to that is yes and no.

The Rangers have hit only .266 as a team against lefties (.280 against right-handers). Their OPS is nearly 60 points lower against lefties. But Ian Kinsler, Guerrero, Cruz and Michael Young all hit above .320 against left-handed pitching this year.

Sanchez has to lower his walk total and Bumgarner needs to be weary of pitching to contact in their live ballpark.

Once going up 2-0 in the series, all the Giants have to do is win one game in Texas before bringing it home for Cain in Game 6. They would have to beat either Colby Lewis or Tommy Hunter because I do not see the Giants beating Cliff Lee twice.

The other three pitchers for the Rangers have been solid all postseason. They shut down a potent Yankees lineup and a dysfunctional Rays order.

The Giants offense will have the task of doing just enough to win. What has been shocking about the Giants’ run is the lack of power from the lineup. This is a lineup that has the ability to take a pitcher out the yard but have, overall, failed to do so.

Aubrey Huff, Buster Posey and Andres Torres have all gone homer-less. The Giants have six as a team in 10 games. There has not been a time during the season where all three of these guys have failed to hit one out. This should change in this series.

Despite having not hit a home run, Torres is starting to swing the bat better, and Freddy Sanchez has started to swing a hot bat. The table setters are getting it done in front of Huff and Posey. It’s up to them to get Torres and Sanchez in.

The bullpens have been very good as well.

This series will key on Brian Wilson and Javier Lopez. Lopez will be granted the singular task of shutting down Josh Hamilton. No one has yet to do it, but Lopez has already done it to Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

Hamilton is just next in this list.

Wilson has his own brand of torture. Let runners on base only to tightrope his way out of danger for the save. The Phillies were not hitting well going into the series with the Giants. The Rangers, on the other hand, lit up the Yankees rotation and may not leave potential runs stranded.

If the Giants can contain the opportunities of the Rangers, they will scratch and claw their way to four more one-run victories.

The stars will line up in the next week plus and the monkey sitting on the Giants’ back will be released. The Giants win this series 4-2.

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The San Francisco Giants will play Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night against the Texas Rangers. It is still taking time for that to sink in.

They have seven games to prove the world wrong. This Giants team has the opportunity to do something no Giants team has done since 1954: win it all.

They can do something Willie McCovey could not do. Will Clark couldn’t. Neither could Juan Marichal.

Gaylord Perry? Nope. We all know how the Bonds era ended.

Fifty-six years for the franchise—an eternity of waiting for the city of San Francisco.

Once again, the Giants will face a team that has never been to the World Series—the 2002 Angels had never been to the Series.

The Rangers reached the World Series by pounding the ball.

The Giants, as we know, do not pound the ball. But what is it about this team that gives them the opportunity to win a World Series where the other great Giants teams have failed?

First, let’s go back and look at the Giants’ history in the World Series.

1962 San Francisco Giants (lost 4-3 to the New York Yankees)

This team had Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal and the list could go on. They had an all-star lineup and an ace for the ages. How did they not beat the Yankees?

Gaylord Perry was also on this team, but he was not yet the Hall-of-Fame caliber pitcher he would become.

They could not figure out the Yankee pitching. In the seven game series, the Giants scored 22 runs for an average of 3.14 runs per game. In fact, they scored two or fewer runs four times.

1989 San Francisco Giants (lost 4-0 to the Oakland Athletics)

Let’s face facts: The A’s were the better team that year. They had pitching, hitting and played great defense. What else could you ask for?

The Giants had a great lineup with Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell and Matt Williams. But once again, the Giants were unable to keep the Athletics off the base paths or to stop them from hitting nine home runs in the four-game series.

The earthquake may have taken its toll on players, but pitching was the difference.

2002 San Francisco Giants (lost 4-3 to the Anaheim Angels)

Can you say “choke?” That is what the Giants did in this World Series.

Giants fans know the story: With a five-run lead going into the seventh inning of Game 6, they had the World Series wrapped up. Parties were being planned. The champagne was already on ice. The massive parade in San Francisco had been scheduled.

Then the bullpen failed. Tim Worrell, Felix Rodriguez and an injured Robb Nen gave up the lead and the momentum going into a tragic Game 7.

The rest is history. That Giants team had the hitting, and in the end, the pitching failed them.

2010 San Francisco Giants vs. Texas Rangers

This brings us back to the series that begins on Wednesday.

What do the Giants do well? Pitch—and now, get timely hits. They are the true definition to the word “team.”

This bunch of misfits, cast-offs or whatever you want to call them have made it their mission to prove to each of those teams who gave up on them that they shouldn’t have. We know the names, and as we continue to hear, they truly do pull for each other.

Take a look at the Giants’ wins in the NLCS. Who was key?

Game 1: Cody Ross’ HR.

Game 3: Matt Cain (you can make a case for Ross again), Aaron Rowand.

Game 4: Juan Uribe, Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval.

Game 6: Uribe, Aubrey Huff, Madison Bumgarner, Jeremy Affeldt.

The saying goes, “It takes a village,” and it sure has with the Giants.

What do the Rangers do well? They hit the stuffing out of the ball and rely on solid, not great pitching with the exception of Cliff Lee. They, too, are a “team” and are carrying the hopes of the state of Texas which has never won a World Series.

As was described in the previous World Series trips for the Giants, the difference has been pitching. The Giants had the best ERA in all of baseball this season, and they carried it into the postseason.

They shut down the Atlanta Braves and the Phillies. Now, this pitching staff is four wins away from baseball immortality.

Wouldn’t it be fitting in the “Year of the Pitcher” for the team with the best ERA to win it all? I think so.

The saying goes “good pitching beats good hitting.” For the Giants to win this series, the statement has to ring true more than ever.

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The San Francisco Giants are up 3-1 against the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series and are one win away from a trip to the World Series.

If I would have told you in March that this would be reality, you would have looked at me and laughed. You might have thought the Giants picked up a big time hitter while trading away Madison Bumgarner or Jonathan Sanchez.

Well, there is no big hitter, but the pitching got even better.

It was not one move that made this team what it is but several. It was not talent that got this team where it is but heart. This team has been called misfits, scrubs and castoffs.

The one thing they all have in common is the drive to win.

None of the players the Giants picked up are world beaters by any stretch.

Cody Ross, Pat Burrell, Javier Lopez, Mike Fontenot, Jose Guillen. All have contributed and without even one of them, the Giants are not where they are right now.

Remember Fontenot’s broken bat flair against the Dodgers? Do you remember Jose Guillen’s six-RBI game?

Cody Ross didn’t turn it on until the playoffs and has turned into “The Boss.”

The Giants are the epitome of the word “team.” They embody all that kids are taught from their t-ball days to their first American Legion game.

Root for each other, be ready when called upon, get the runner over, never quit.

They never quit.

Not even during the Bonds era can I remember a Giants team that was as resilient as these Giants. They fall behind and come back. They give up a lead and get it back. Game 4 was proof of this.

Not only are they doing this but they are doing it against the next best pitching staff to theirs.

Almost all Giants fans knew going into March, if we made it to the playoffs they would be dangerous. But many also believed if they made it, the offense would suffer, and they would get ousted fairly quickly.

The offense has been just good enough to win ball games but more importantly, this is the best pitching staff in Giants history. It is what will carry them deeper into October baseball.

With some changes to the lineup and the maturation of some home grown players, the Giants have proven the world wrong. They have matured faster than many believed. They have proven me wrong and I couldn’t be happier.

I said after a miserable August, they wouldn’t make the playoffs. They did.

I said they would beat the Braves but fall to the Phillies in six games. That is no longer a mathematical possibility.

This team has built the season on proving everybody wrong. They are a bunch of misfits. Hell, they are a sandlot team. Scrappy, gritty, carefree and with plenty of personality.

It is apparent they have fun which is what baseball should be. They make you want to root for them. You want them to succeed. They are the ultimate underdog ready to eliminate the biggest dog in the yard.

They are ready to do something that has not happened in San Francisco—bring a World Series title home.

Impossible? No.

Improbable? I thought so.

At this stage, this team is ready for the unforeseen. Six wins down, five to go.

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We knew the Giants were not going to make it easy against the Braves. We knew postseason baseball for the Giants had to resemble the regular season—torturous.

San Francisco won their NL Divisional Series against Atlanta 3-1 and will face the Philadelphia Phillies starting on Saturday.

There were many things the Giants did well.

Starting pitching

What more could the starting pitchers have done? None of them had been to the postseason before and all of them pitched like it was just another game.

Between Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner, the starting pitchers threw 28.2 innings, allowing four runs while striking out 36.

They absolutely shut down Jason Heyward and Derrek Lee. The Braves were only able to muster a .175 batting average in the series.

Ability to come back

Three times in the series, the Giants came back from deficits to win.

In Game 3, the Giants scored twice in the ninth to take a 3-2 lead and win. In Game 4, San Francisco came back twice.

With the Giants trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning, Cody Ross unloaded on a Derek Lowe pitch and planted it in the left field bleachers. The Braves tied the game the following inning on a Brian McCann home run. In the seventh, the Giants loaded the bases and tied the game on a fielder’s choice by Juan Uribe.

The Giants would retake the lead on a Ross single to left.

San Francisco never quit and showed great poise, not to just come back, but to do so on the road twice.

Now, we know the Giants still have some issues to workout.

Offense as a whole

Despite winning the series 3-1, the Giants only scored 11 runs in four games. The game in which they scored the most (Game 2), the Giants lost.

They were very good about taking pitches and running up pitch counts during this series but it has been uncharacteristic of them and may not suit them well against the Phillies.

Sergio Romo

What do the Giants do with Sergio Romo?

He had two bad outings against the Braves but I do not expect that to cost him a roster spot for the NLCS. The question is, when do you use him?

He was not used in the series clinching Game 4. Instead, Santiago Casilla and Javier Lopez were used in the eighth. This could show a lack of confidence in Romo or it could be a way to let him regroup and collect himself before the NLCS.

Whatever the case, it has to be solved before Saturday.

This brings us to the matchup itself. Phillies vs. Giants. The following are the projected pitching matchups:

Game 1: Tim Lincecum (SF) vs. Roy Halladay (PHI)

Game 2: Matt Cain (SF) vs. Roy Oswalt (PHI)

Game 3: Cole Hamels (PHI) vs. Jonathan Sanchez (SF)

Game 4: Roy Halladay (PHI) vs. TBD (SF)

Game 5*: Roy Oswalt (PHI) vs. TBD (SF)

Game 6*: TBD (SF) vs. Cole Hamels (PHI)

Game 7*: TBD (SF) vs. Roy Halladay (PHI)

The Giants starting staff will face a much more daunting task with the Phillies lineup, although this is a Phillies lineup that has scuffled most of the year, mainly because of injuries.

Philadelphia’s lineup is much more susceptible to striking out and that may play a huge factor in this series. The Braves are a much more patient team (634 BB to 560 BB).

Atlanta was fourth in Major League Baseball in on-base percentage. Philadelphia was 11th.

I left the pitching probables for the Giants blank for games 4-7 because it may depend on how the Giants are faring in the series. It may also depend on who is on the roster.

Over the next couple of days, Barry Zito and Jose Guillen’s names will come up and it has to be decided whether to leave them off or put them back on.

With a longer series, an additional pitcher may provide useful for the Giants but is that pitcher Zito?

Could it be Chris Ray?

Ray and Guillen have been battling injuries and that was one of the main reasons Guillen did not make the NLDS roster. Guillen’s health may determine his spot on the roster.

But if Guillen is on, who is off?

Aaron Rowand did not contribute in the NLDS but playing against his former team may breathe some life into him. Edgar Renteria dropped what could have been a crucial pop up in the eighth inning of Game 4. Luckily it did not make a difference but defensive concerns were apparent in the series with Atlanta (See: Brooks Conrad).

Most of these questions will be answered over the next week. The NLCS is nothing new to the Phillies and the Giants will be playing the role of underdogs.

But watching the Giants this season, I don’t think they’d have it any other way.

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The Giants have been torturing the San Francisco faithful all year and this game was no different. This game had two blown saves, two lead changes, and a crucial error all within one inning.

Bottom line is, they won 3-2 and have a 2-1 series lead going into Monday’s Game 4.

Pablo didn’t play. Jonathan Sanchez’s stellar performance. How does Brooks Conrad fit in?

Starting pitching, bullpen, offense, and managerial decisions. All to be analyzed.

Let’s see how the Giants fared after Game 3 of their series with the Atlanta Braves.

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Last night was the most dominating playoff performance by a Giants starting pitcher possibly ever.

Complete game, two hits, 14 strikeouts.

It was only Lincecum’s second complete game of the season. He also matched a career high in strikeouts. He struggled a bit in the first inning but figured it out after that.

Lincecum seemed to be overly excited and gave up a leadoff double to the Braves’ Omar Infante. The double seemed to settle him down and Timmy was able to pitch his game.

He was in complete control.

The question now remains, how will Matt Cain follow this performance?

If there is a pitcher on the Giants’ staff that has always seemed born for playoff baseball, it is Cain. He has been San Francisco’s most consistent pitcher all season but had his worst outing of the year last Saturday against San Diego.

Cain has a 2-2 career record with a 4.03 ERA against the Braves.

He is usually as stoic as can be on the mound. It doesn’t ever seem like anything bothers him. Tonight will be the night to find out for sure.

The mystique of the playoffs has worn off for the lineup and for at least one pitcher. If Cain commands the strike zone, as he usually does, then it should not be much problem for him.

Seeing Lincecum pitch as he did may ease Cain for his start. But if he begins to struggle and become predictable in his pitch selection, it could be a long night for Cain.

One thing Cain is used to dealing with, playoffs or not, is lack of run support. The Giants had opportunities last night to score runs and were only able to capitalize once.

The case could be made that Infante should have made that play. If he had, they may still be playing right now.

The Giants have an opportunity to take a stranglehold on the series before taking the flight to Atlanta for Games Three and Four (if necessary). Atlanta does not play well on the road but is the best home team in the National League.

Cain is the key. Pitching is the key.

Cain was built for the playoffs. Now, it’s time to prove it.

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The Giants have a magic number of one.

The only way the Giants do not win the division is for the struggling Padres to win four in a row against San Francisco.

What I am trying to say is that it’s over.

For those who have commented on my articles, I will say it: I was wrong. But I did say the Giants would win the division at the beginning of the season.

Since that’s out of the way, we can move on to what we all want to know. Who should be on the Giants 2010 postseason roster?

Any player added to the roster by September 1 is eligible for the postseason, and it is only a 25-man roster. Teams can also change rosters between series. This roster is only for the National League Division Series.

The easy choices are the following:

SP: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner, Barry Zito

RP: Brian Wilson, Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affedlt, Javier Lopez, Santiago Casilla

INF: Buster Posey, Aubrey Huff, Freddy Sanchez, Pablo Sandoval, Juan Uribe, Mike Fontenot

OF: Pat Burrell, Andres Torres, Jose Guillen

That is 19 guys. With six spots remaining, we have to take a closer look at who they have and who should be in.

There are 10 pitchers on that roster. Who else should be added to that staff?

Ramon Ramirez? Dan Runzler? Chris Ray? Maybe Guillermo Mota?

This is a team that has struggled more to score runs and may not carry as many pitchers to let more hitters on board.

San Francisco will probably go to a four-man rotation, meaning one of the lefties in the rotation will go to the bullpen. That would give the Giants three lefties in the pen.

Probably enough.

Ramirez maybe the only addition to the roster from the staff.

Now the hitters/defenders. The candidates are Cody Ross, Nate Schierholtz, Travis Ishikawa, Aaron Rowand, Edgar Renteria, and Eli Whiteside.

Whiteside is in because they need a backup catcher.

Ross and Schierholtz have come up huge in clutch situations and are the defensive replacements in the outfield. Ishikawa has been the Giants’ best pinch hitter all season and could provide some very good defense at first base.

One spot remaining. Pitcher or hitter?

For my last roster spot, I go back to the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

In game four of the ALCS, Dave Roberts stole second base late in that game and went on to comeback and win the game and the series.

Speed kills.

With that statement, I give my last roster spot goes to Darren Ford. He never has to pick up a bat. He doesn’t ever have to play defense.

All he would have to do is run the bases and wreak havoc on opposing pitchers and catchers.

As I am writing this, FP Santangelo named his 25-man roster and the only difference is Ford for Eugenio Velez.

I’m glad to hear I am not the only one to think this is the roster that should play in the NLDS.

One step at a time and the final step is to win Friday night. But after Friday night, this is what matters.

The best 25 men for the job.

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The saying goes good pitching beats good hitting. It’s actually more than a saying. It’s a reality. If you have a dominant pitcher on his game, there is not a hitter on the planet that can hit him.

Painting the black. Hitting your spots. Changing speeds.

It is something the Giants pitching staff has done very well for the past 18 games. They have not allowed more than three runs in a game since September 4.

No pitching staff in the modern age has put together a better stretch. In fact only two other teams since 1900 have put together such a stretch, the 1916 New York Giants (19) and the 1917 Chicago White Sox (20).

This means every man from the ace of the staff to the last bullpen guy is getting the job done. Every last pitcher is hitting on all cylinders.

In September, the Giants have a team ERA of 1.44 with a WHIP of 0.82. The starting staff has a combined ERA of 1.85, and the bullpen has given up two runs in 51 innings. That comes out to a 0.35 ERA.

With all of this recent September success, a question remains: Can this continue into the postseason? Can the Giants pitching staff ride this momentum into October and make an impact?

October baseball has always been about strong pitching and clutch hitting. Let’s focus on the pitching.

The type of guys that usually flourish in the postseason are hard-throwing control pitchers. It so happens the Giants have those. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez provide that in the rotation.

All these guys can get the strikeout if needed and have proven so. Sanchez and Lincecum will have over 200 strikeouts this season. Cain is currently at 165, but as Giants fans have seen, when he needs one, he can get one.

Santiago Casilla, Dan Runzler, and Brian Wilson provide that out of the bullpen. Hard to argue with guys who throw in the mid-to-high 90s.

In fact, if you were to go back through the Giants’ history and look at past pitching staffs, this could be the best pitching staff the San Francisco Giants have ever had.

Are there individual exceptions? Yes, but there has not been an entire staff that has dealt in the team’s history.

Think about any of the pitching staffs of the 90s and early 2000s…pitching wasn’t that trustworthy.

Think back to the 1989 team. Why did they lose the World Series to the Athletics?

Oh, right. Steroids…I mean lack of pitching.

From beginning to end, it is tough to find a weakness in the pitching staff. In the playoffs, though, it is about matchups.

If the playoffs were to start today, San Francisco would be hosting the Cincinnati Reds.

Playoff experience will be a wash in the series. The Reds have not been to the playoffs since the 1990s, and the Giants not since 2003.

There are key guys who have been there before (i.e. Scott Rolen, Barry Zito, Juan Uribe) but the teams as a whole will be in for a new experience.

The Giants are 4-3 against the Reds this season. They split their first series in Cincinnati and took two out of three in San Francisco.

The series in San Francisco was the worst the pitching staff had looked all season. It was the middle of August and the starting pitching was falling apart. Lincecum could not buy a win. Zito looked like the 2007 version of himself. Hitting off Madison Bumgarner was like hitting off of a tee.

But there was one guy who the Reds could not figure out. That person was Cain. In his two starts, he allowed two runs in 17 innings (two wins).

Tim Lincecum did not face the Reds this season.

In a short series, the Giants arms could neutralize the Reds bats. The difference could be the type of player Joey Votto turns into come October.

Cain might be the person you start twice in this series (if necessary). Recent success should have much to do with that decision.

A four-man rotation seems to make the most sense at this point. Roll with Lincecum, Sanchez, Cain, Zito. They have varying styles and having lefties in the rotation for teams like Philadelphia and Cincinnati is always helpful.

If the Giants pitching can keep up the torrid pace, they will be a team no offense will want to face.

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It is almost a daily topic now. Which Giants offense will show up?

The pitching has held up its end of the bargain and is pitching like a playoff team should. Not so much for the offense.

San Francisco has not allowed more than three runs in 16 straight games. This is tied for the fifth longest streak since 1900. They have thrown four shutouts during the streak.

The last team to have at least 16 were the 1981 Oakland Athletics. An impressive feat no matter what era you live in.

The problem is the Giants have not taken full advantage of it.

San Francisco is 10-6 in those 16 games, and it has scored more than three runs five times (5-0). This means, if you do some quick math, its record in all those other games is 5-6.

The Giants have scored three or fewer runs in 11 of the 16 games and have been shut out four times.

Could this be a random chain of events where the Giants are meeting each pitcher at their best? It is a possibility but not very likely.

The four shutouts were thrown by Tim Stauffer (replacement starter), Randy Wolf (4.24 ERA), Clayton Kershaw (first career complete game and shutout), and Randy Wells (4.28 ERA).

The offense has scored 58 runs during the month of September. That is good enough for 3.05 runs per game. But if you take away the two games where they scored 10 and nine runs, that leaves you with 2.29 runs per game.

The Giants are hitting .215 as a team for the month and have shown little sign of consistency.

This team’s offense has become feast or famine. The latter has been winning more often than not.

Are they still in the race? Yes. Could the offense get better? I suppose. Bottom line, are they winning? Yes.

The pitching staff is on an historic pace but they cannot continue this torrid pace up. The Giants should not have to rely on the pitching to allow two or fewer runs to win.

Huff and company better show up or they will be on vacation come October.

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