Kuzul

The Giants‘ offensive outburst in the first game of the four-game series in San Diego gives them momentum in the NL West showdown.

San Francisco will assuredly keep the momentum gained in a 7-3 win over the Padres if starting pitchers Matt Cain and John Garland can miraculously return to the mound tonight with exactly the same stuff they possessed on Thursday.

Since Cain can’t duplicate his masterful performance for San Francisco, and Garland won’t be out there to help the Giants make Petco Park play like a band box, all momentum gained on Thursday ends when the first pitch is thrown on Friday.

Different starting pitchers. Different lineups. If Jonathan Sanchez can pitch as well as Cain did, the Giants could keep the momentum, especially if Padres starter Clayton Richard struggles like Garland did in helping San Francisco’s batting order look like the 1927 New York Yankees in the series-opener.

Giants fans will choose to believe that the club’s superior heart, desire and focus resulted in the boys’ bats heating up at the start of a four-game offensive explosion. The Padres’ faithful will rest assured that Richard will pitch well and that San Diego hitters will solve Sanchez a little more easily than they did Cain.

So, let’s consider what we do know from the Giants opening-night win:

** Fans who griped all season long about the Giants’ decision to extend second baseman Freddy Sanchez’s contract must feel silly. Or, perhaps, they don’t understand the value of brilliant defense in the middle infield and a big league hitter who finds ways to get things going.

** The value of Andres Torres to the Giants’ batting order can’t be disputed. That lead-off knock to start the game made a big difference.

** The Giants wouldn’t be one game out of the NL West (and NL wild-card) race without Pat Burrell. That home run that he sent into orbit, crashing off the brick wall of the building that occupies space inside Petco Park, brought back memories of the old Giants teams that specialized in the home run.

** Cody Ross is pressing to perform in a playoff race and make the Marlins seem even more foolish in giving him away on waivers. He might want to stop choking the ash out of the handle of the bat and just let the game come to him.

** There are some who see young outfielder Darren Ford’s mind-bending speed on the bases and quietly think, “I wonder if he might not merit a start or an at-bat as a late-inning defensive replacement … just to see if he can show an ability to work his way on base from time to time, down the stretch.

** Folks who cringed when the Giants passed on trying to obtain Miguel Tejada should be acknowledging that the organization’s decision was money well saved. There’s not a lick of defense, at the plate or in the field, between Tejada and Juan Uribe.

** While the well known Giants “insiders” ponder rhetorical questions regarding which starting pitcher they’d pick to start a one-game playoff, they might slow down before insisting that Tim Lincecum is the only logical choice. Cain has made the case that he has become the club’s most reliable, and effective, starting pitcher. Things could change if Lincecum turns in a third straight gem on Sunday.

** The Giants should sign Aubrey Huff to a longer-term deal in the off-season. He came up big on Thursday, as he has all season. The club has no young first baseman or middle-of-the-order bat ready to jump to the big leagues any time soon. The metrics and comparative salaries that dominate off-season chatter won’t reflect Huff’s true value to the Giants.

** Burrell’s reputation, his personality, means nothing to Giants fans as long as he’s swinging the bat well. A reader complained that Burrell reported arrogance is “rubbing off” on Buster Posey. Hey, the guy’s not dating a family member so…let’s agree to appreciate what Burrell does with a bat in his hands. Period.

** Posey’s going to be the Giants leader for years to come so, really, a little bit of swagger and some red-ass rubbing off on him would actually be a good thing.

** They’ve pitched well for the most part, but there’s no reason to rush the Giants middle-inning relievers into action. Thus, Sanchez is in a spot where working into the seventh inning would save San Francisco fans some trouble.

** Pablo Sandoval has reached the point where having a healthy Edgar Renteria to play shortstop merits moving Uribe to third base against some pitchers. It would help Sandoval to know he doesn’t have to feel any need to do more than what he’s done all season — heat up, cool off, heat up, cool off. The Giants don’t want him playing the final 21 games pressing to recreate his 2009 performance.

** Bud Black, like every other big league manager, is only as smart as his players make him look. He opted not to walk Posey intentionally in that pivotal point in the fifth inning and Garland served up a home run.

** No, the Giants shouldn’t be thinking about the sizzling Rockies who trail them by a couple of games in the NL West. All the Giants have to do is focus on their game until the clubs open their three-game series in Colorado Sept. 24.

** “Desire,” “heart,” or “wanting it more” will have nothing to do with a single win or loss through the remainder of the season. Every team and every player really wants to help his team get into the playoffs. Great pitching, timely hitting … those things matter.

Ted Sillanpaa is a Northern California sports writer and columnist. Reach Ted at tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com

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Major League Baseball wasn’t necessarily meant to be enjoyed with one finger extended in an attempt to find a target for today’s round of criticism.

Oh, the 2010 San Francisco Giants have made it easy for fans who want to affix blame, find solutions to every potential problem, and moan about what will go wrong next from Opening Day through the dog days of summer.

The Giants’ talented staff of starting pitchers has hit the skids. Pablo Sandoval, until very recently, lost his stroke after a brilliant 2009 campaign. The big hitter fans wanted never arrived. The bullpen has struggled. The club has yet to clinch first place in the NL West or the wild-card race, so those who find joy in finding misery can always finger general manager Brian Sabean or field manager Bruce Bochy to blame for something.

Not today. Not here. Not with the Giants in the thick of the NL wild-card race and within striking distance of the mercurial NL West leading San Diego Padres (it’s beginning to look like maybe the Padres aren’t going to fold, huh?).

This is a day for the top 10 feel-good stories of the Giants 2010 season:

10. The Giants built an offense on the cheap

No Adam Dunn, but the Giants have big league hitters at virtually every position these days. Jose Guillen can’t run well, but he can hit better than any right fielder the Giants have had in awhile. Pat Burrell (more on him higher up the list) is, to the uninformed fan, swings it like the Giants must have built the batting order around him. Now, they’ve added outfielder Cody Ross from the Marlins (fans will love the guy, honest).

Then, figure that they threw Buster Posey in as the big bat in the overhaul—by recalling him from the minors. A team can’t add that much punch for that minimal financial outlay very often.

9. Pablo Sandoval is finding his mojo

He won’t replicate his 2009 offensive production. Even if he does, fans and the media are ripping his defensive skills (did they actually think he was a good third baseman at some point?). Still, Sandoval’s worked hard and persevered and is swinging the bat well after fans and even some media “insiders” though he should be sent to the minor leagues.

Great story.

8. Travis Ishikawa has a big league job

He’s a late-inning defensive replacement. The guy proved he can play first base everyday in a pinch and produce (he’s also shown he’s not an everyday big leaguer…his value diminishes the more he plays). Fans love the guy. Well, people who value patience and hard work love the guy. Finally, Ishikawa has established himself as a fine pinch-hitter.

Long after fans forget John Bowker, Fred Lewis, and all those guys who were supposed to help save the offense, they’ll be talking about Ishikawa becoming a serviceable big leaguer.

7. Aubrey Huff can play defense

How all those American League teams that employed Huff refused to let this guy play defense is an absolute mystery. His offensive output makes him a guy who will get NL MVP votes, but the great story has been his play on defense.

In spring training, it appeared he’d struggle at first base. Huff was fine, good even. When Buster Posey was recalled to play first base, Huff moved to the outfield. And…he’s a serviceable outfielder with an adequate arm.

Best of all, he’s joyfully accepted the chance to prove he’s a big league defender.

How often do professional athletes happily accept, even joke about, having their role changed three times in less than one season?

Huff’s a guy to keep around awhile.

6. Madison Bumgarner is a big league pitcher

He’s only 21 years old, but…didn’t media types and lots of fans think that his abysmal spring training effort showed that the left-hander was overrated and, worse, a potential bust? His numbers are special because he’s only 21 and because he knows folks were counting him out. It takes stones for a kid to do what he did after losing a starting spot in spring training. He came back and, now, is pitching as well as anyone in the rotation.

5. Aaron Rowand is taking his diminished role like a pro

It might not mean much to fans, but bet that the Giants front office is overjoyed that Rowand is quietly accepting his ever-diminishing role in the lineup. The guy signed a multi-million-dollar free-agent deal and went bust in San Francisco. He lost his starting job to a career minor leaguer after an extended period when making contact with any pitch was a challenge. Now, he’s behind former Florida Marlins star Cody Ross, too.

Rowand hasn’t been heard to utter a single complaint. Fans can boo him and shout about his .230’ish batting average. He gives the appearance he’ll respond like a pro and do whatever he can, in the few times he’s called upon, to help the club. And Rowand is a key clubhouse presence—a veteran leader—so if he wanted to try to completely unhinge the chemistry with media tirades, he surely could.

4. Barry Zito bounced back

He’s struggling right now, but Zito has returned to be an effective big league starting pitcher in 2010. He’ll never truly earn the salary the Giants are paying him—unless he solves the crisis in the Middle East, cures the common cold and wins 20 games.

Everybody seemed so certain that the butt of every Giants’ fans cruelest joke was finished…done. Many roared that Zito was stealing money and that he should simply retire early in 2009.

When you hear a naysayer spouting off about something that, “can’t possibly happen” or about a player who “is absolutely finished,” remind him of the story of Zito in 2010.

3. Pat Burrell salvaged his career to key the bat attack.

It’s impossible to feel sorry for a millionaire, especially one who was getting paid millions to do nothing. Burrell flopped so miserably with the Tampa Bay Rays that they released the veteran outfielder and said, “Here’s your millions of dollars, just leave and give us an empty roster spot.” Burrell’s great seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies were forgotten. He was considered finished at 33 years of age.

The Giants were so desperate for home run power that they gave Burrell a minor league contract and two weeks to prove he could regain the form he showed in Philly. Burrell did the job in Fresno, got a call to San Francisco and …

His story has evolved as the type story that should give fans and general managers hope, regardless of their team’s plight. Paying him virtually nothing, the Giants are being led by the Bay Area native who joins Aubrey Huff to sandwich Buster Posey in the middle of the order.

Burrell brought the Giants the longball power, sure. He’s got 12 homers—two fewer than he had in about 200 games for Tampa Bay. Better, Burrell knows the strike zone and is the patient, veteran hitter that the Giants have lacked for years. Go ahead, gripe that he can’t run and that he isn’t a good defensive left fielder. Just acknowledge his .884 on-base percentage and his 41 walks.

A power hitter…who will take a walk…in the middle of the Giants order. And, another team is paying his salary?

Great story.

2. Buster Posey arrived in the big leagues as advertised

The young catcher arrived in San Francisco exactly as advertised. Well, he arrived as a first baseman for a team that couldn’t hit a lick, but eventually earned the everyday catcher’s job and became the player a franchise can plan to build around for a decade—or more.

The numbers don’t sufficiently explain why Posey has been such a wonderful story for the Giants. He is not only a Rookie of the Year candidate. The kid is clearly a calming presence, mature beyond his years. Since his arrival in May, there hasn’t been a player on the roster who hasn’t briefly appeared to have forgotten how to play the game.

When Posey doesn’t get the job done, it’s because the opposition just outplayed him. He knows, and fans believe, it won’t happen very often.

Who among Giants fans didn’t have some fear that Posey might be a .280 hitter, drive in 75 runs and hit 12 homers? Oh, and, remember all the skeptics who didn’t think he could handle big league pitching?

The story ends with Giants fans breathing a sigh of relief and planning on Posey becoming a Bonds-like franchise cornerstone—a big-time hitter around whom the Giants can build for years to come.

1. Andres Torres emerged as an everyday center fielder

If you like underdogs, you love Andres Torres.

The Giants grabbed Torres from the scrap heap entering spring training 2009. The chances that a 31-year-old outfielder could end 12 years in the minor leagues by becoming a big league team’s starting centerfielder and lead-off hitter are virtually nil. Torres is the Giants centerfielder, lead-off hitter, and arguably their heart and soul at the age of 32.

Never saw that coming, did you?

Torres has provided the Giants with a base-stealing threat with 23 thefts in 116 games. The switch-hitter has 13 home runs and ranks among NL leaders with 41 doubles and 5 triples. Playing alongside outfielders who don’t have much range, Torres has anchored the outer defense. For those who can’t forget the negative—Aaron Rowand is on the bench because Torres has become a big league contributor.

Posey’s going to be a star for years to come. Torres might be having the year of his life, so his is the Giants’ top story in 2010.

Ted Sillanpaa is a Northern California sports writer and columnist. Reach Ted at tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Yes, this is an incredibly bold conclusion. Actually, I haven’t concluded anything, I’ve just posed a question.

The fact of the matter is, the Giants have an incredibly fickle nature. Remember in July, when they won 20 games in a month for the first time since September of 2000? Well, right before that month, they had a seven-game losing streak. Are they going to once again bounce back?

This is a team that can get on a roll, and dominate. They have all of the tools necessary to win a game. Their rotation is as good as any in the majors. They have a solid group of hitters—Torres, Huff, Posey, Burrell, Uribe, Guillen, Sandoval, Sanchez—the problem is, they aren’t always consistent.

Sandoval has struggled all year, but now he is starting to return to his 2009 form, or so it appears. He has four home runs in his last eight games, including his first home run of 2010 from the right side of the plate. These are promising signs. 

Aubrey Huff and Andres Torres have carried this team the entire year, amassing a combined 10-plus Wins Above Replacement by doing everything—they have versatility on the field. Torres can run, they can both hit home runs, Torres is among the top hitters in the National League in doubles, and so on…

Posey hit .440 for the month of July, and when he is hot, he rarely goes without a hit. He’s heating up again, currently riding a seven-game hitting streak during which he’s batted over .400. 

And, all the other guys—Burrell, Uribe, Guillen, Sanchez, etc.—have the tools to provide clutch hits here and there. Burrell, Uribe, and Guillen are all legitimate power threats, and Sanchez is the only Giant who can really play small ball—he always gets the bunt down when he needs to. 

Beyond Lincecum’s struggles, the rotation has really been solid. Even Lincecum has. The only problem is consistency, but after going 14 games without a win from a Giants starter, Sanchez and Bumgarner have now won back-to-back games. Lincecum, as the ace, has to be compelled to step up his game now, right? 

The Giants have a tough road ahead of them, facing St. Louis and Cincinnati, both playoff contenders. They are an inconsistent team, but they possess the tools to beat any other team in the National League—well, maybe not the Padres just yet.

The Wild Card is still within their reach, though, and if they get all the right gears clicking, they can go far. Consistency is the key though, and for such a fickle-natured team, it is impossible to say whether they will get all the right gears clicking. 

Their defense is average at best, with Guillen, Burrell, and Sandoval having minimal range. If they can manage to keep runs to a minimum, though, score some runs with their starting lineup in the earlier innings, then put in defensive replacements, the Giants could very well succeed. 

Potential is a word often thrown around, but it’s true—this Giants team has great potential. Will it be fulfilled?

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2010 has been a year packed with surprises, from the success of unsung heroes to the struggles of previous years’ stars. Let’s take a look at the Giants’ 10 biggest surprises. 

Begin Slideshow

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.

Begin Slideshow

The are people who refuse to acknowledge reality and continue to insist that the San Francisco Giants needed to make a blockbuster deal before the trade deadline passed.

The Giants did exactly what they should’ve done. They gave up a minor leaguer for a veteran right-handed relief pitcher. Then, they traded two players with big league experience, but not much success, for a left-hander for the bullpen.

How anyone who has been paying attention to the club and its competitors since the All-Star break ended can think the Giants did anything but the right thing is baffling.

The Giants are scorching hot and just one and a half games behind the San Diego Padres in the NL West. They’ve managed stirring back-to-back wins that push the Los Angeles Dodgers further off the pace and put more room between San Francisco and the Colorado Rockies in the division.

The Giants are building a nice, little lead in a wild-card race where only the Philadelphia Phillies seem particularly imposing. The Cincinnati Reds are two games back and the Phillies three and a half. After that, there’s a log-jam that includes the Dodgers and Colorado Rockies between five and a half and six and a half games behind the wild-card race leaders.

The Giants didn’t need a journeyman hitter. Fans and media types who insist they should’ve landed someone like Washington slugger Adam Dunn ignore that the Nationals were asking for pitcher Madison Bumgarner.

So. lefty Javier Lopez comes from Pittsburgh for two popular Giants who just didn’t perform in fairly extended opportunities to do so at the big league level. Pitcher Joe Martinez and outfielder-first baseman John Bowker are Pirates now.

Bowker is a fringe big leaguer and a Triple-A all-star. Martinez is a right-handed starting pitcher who didn’t pitch well in the big leagues for a team that doesn’t need starting pitching to begin with. Love those guys? Well, they’ll get a chance to prove in Pittsburgh that they didn’t really get a chance in San Francisco.

Right-hander Ramon Ramirez comes from the Boston Red Sox for a kid pitcher named Daniel Turpen. 

There are going to be spouting the numbers that Lopez and Ramirez have put up in 2010. They’ll say that the two won’t help the Giants bullpen at all. They’ll be ignoring that the Giants have gone on a 15-4 streak that includes an 8-2 run without a lefty in the bullpen and without Brian Wilson to close in their last two victories.

At some point soon, somebody’s going to complain that Ramirez isn’t any better than the reliever the Giants send to Triple-A to make room for him. Before that somebody shouts the praises of, say, Santiago Casilla, consider that Ramirez has 31-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 42 innings pitched this season.

So, yes, many of the same people who’ve complained that Giants relievers don’t throw enough strikes will complain that they traded a minor leaguer for a strike-thrower and sent a notoriously inconsistent pitcher to the minors.

Incredible, isn’t it?

People are still lining up to moan that general manager Brian Sabean just can’t build a winner.

The Giants are winning with free agent acquisitions Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell and Juan Uribe playing very well.

If Sabean gets the blame for Aaron Rowand’s contract, he deserves all the credit in the world for Huff, Burrell and Uribe.

And, boy, are Sabean’s detractors hoping that no one mentions that Andres Torres was a 31-year-old career minor leaguer when Sabean invited him to spring training in 2009 and is paying the mercurial lead-off hitter $426,000 to play all three outfield positions, hit .286 and lead the league in doubles.

Yep. The boys in the Giants front office are responsible for Torres being in San Francisco.

Fans are going to whine that Sabean and the Giants didn’t add a big-time run-producer as they completely ignore the fact that catcher Buster Posey was added to the big league roster in May. Posey has had more impact on San Francisco’s lineup than any hitter who was traded in the last two weeks will have on his new team’s lineup.

Fans who’ve noticed that the Giants are playing the best baseball in the National League are pleased to know that the Giants didn’t try to fix what isn’t broken.

Ted Sillanpaa is a Northern California sports writer and columnist. Reach Ted at tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s tempting for the more seasoned (really old) followers of the San Francisco Giants to sit back and enjoy what has been a fabulous start to the second half of the season.

The club’s record is third-best in the National League and seventh in the big leagues three games into the Florida Marlins series in San Francisco. The Giants are 2 1/2 games out of the NL West lead and are atop the NL wild-card race.

Fans and media-types have to work, or ignore reality, to be critical of what were considered shortcomings with the Giants on a 11-3 streak since the All-Star break.

The team’s starting pitching has been superb. The bullpen has done a surprisingly good job getting games to closer Brian Wilson.

Manager Bruce Bochy has, apparently, become a great deal smarter in the second half. Unless he, alone, blew the three games the club lost in the last couple of weeks.

Every club can use another hitter, but the Giants are scoring plenty of runs. And, knocking situational hitting when a team is 11-3 seems silly.

Fans and the media should be relaxing and enjoying the fact that the Giants jumped from 10th to seventh on ESPN.com’s MLB power rankings this week.

Why bother worrying about the trade deadline when the Giants have one of the best records in baseball? Well, the cyclical nature of baseball indicates that the club’s flaws will become apparent again soon. So…

The Giants desperately need relief pitching (specifically left-handed relievers). The only way to get help for the bullpen is in trade. No help coming from the minor leagues and even the happiest of Giants fan likely quivers at the thought of relying too heavily on Denny Bautista, Joe Martinez, and Santiago Casilla.

While they’re poking around for a reliever or two, the Giants might as well see if any hitters are available for a decent asking price. Pablo Sandoval might return to first-half form. And Buster Posey just might not bat .368, with a .975 OPS and .571 slugging percentage for the final three months of the season. Although, nothing the kid does should surprise anybody.

There just isn’t a great deal of bullpen talent on the market, so trade rumors have focused on the organization’s reported interest in finding another proven hitter.

Oh, the Giants are going to get relief help. Before giving up anything in trade, the Giants might want to consider calling lefty Alex Hinshaw up to see if he can get outs or about giving Dontrelle Willis a shot as a lefty-vs.-lefty reliever.

The Giants have the luxury of giving a young farmhand and a fallen star a chance to stabilize the pen.

The club is a lot more likely to land an outfielder like Washington’s Josh Willingham or Kansas City veteran Jose Guillen than they are to trade for Adam Dunn. (Although, Dunn is on record now as denying that he ever said he would refuse to play in San Francisco. That, apparently, was an urban legend based on the assumption that AT&T Park is death to all lefty swingers who aren’t Barry Bonds.)

Dunn’s going to be a free agent at the end of the year, so the Giants aren’t interested unless they can sign him to a long-term deal before any trade is consumated. Teams typically allow for negotiations between a trade partner and a player in such a situation.

The Giants just aren’t willing to offer the type of package necessary to lure Dunn to San Francisco. The Nationals apparently turned down a Chicago White Sox offer featuring starting second baseman Gordon Beckham and insisted on a package featuring three top prospects headed by pitcher Daniel Hudson. Translation: Madison Bumgarner and two top prospects would, maybe, bring Dunn west.

Tampa Bay asked the Nats about Dunn and the Rays were told that any package for the slugger would have to include starting pitcher Matt Garza, who is having an outstanding season and pitched a no-hitter on Monday night. Translation: If Bumgarner’s untouchable, toss Matt Cain into the deal.

The Giants discussed Guillen with the Royals, the New York Post reported. The 34-year-old would, reportedly, go to San Francisco with cash to cover some of the $4.55 million left on his contract. ESPN’s Jayson Stark, however, reported that the Royals “have no real options” to trade Guillen—even while asking for little in return.

There’s word that the Giants are, again, interested in free agent-to-be Prince Fielder. Any package would start with trading left-hander Madison Bumgarner. Fielder’s out of the question.

Willingham can play right field, where he wouldn’t take any more at-bats from Pat Burrell.

The Giants had interest in Royals base-stealing outfielder Scott Podsednik, but the Los Angeles Dodgers wound up acquiring the left-hand hitter in exchange for two minor leaguers.

If first baseman Travis Ishikawa keeps producing, Aubrey Huff will split time between the outfield and first and the Giants wouldn’t necessarily have to add a hitter, because it appears that Aaron Rowand might be inching back to reasonable productivity after his single started Thursday’s game-winning rally against the Marlins.

It could be that this is the time for Giants fans to step back and acknowledge that the call for homegrown talent has gone on for years and, well, it could be that Nate Schierholtz, Ishikawa and, perhaps, a minor leaguer like infielders Emmanuel Burris or Ryan Rohlinger team to produce the runs the Giants need.

Why deal for a .260 hitter in Guillen if Schierholtz can hit .250 and contribute in every other area of the game, too?

The Giants are inching toward the trade deadline in position, remarkably, to just keep doing what they’ve been doing. That’s been plenty good enough over the last 14 games.

Ted Sillanpaa is a Northern California sports writer and columnist. Reach Ted at tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The San Francisco Giants have won four of their first five coming out of the All-Star break — five of five if not for a blown call at home plate that cost them a win over the New York Mets on Sunday.

The Giants blew into Los Angeles and beat the suddenly slumping Dodgers, 5-2, on Monday night. The Dodgers have lost five in a row after being swept in a four-game series by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Things are going well for the Giants. They look as though they could win the National League West.

Wait.

We’ve been here before, only to have things go terribly wrong. Right?

It’s different this time. These Giants aren’t winning by utilityman Juan Uribe is on a hot streak or because one of the half-dozen or so prospects-turned-suspects has shown a flash of big league talent. The Giants are winning because, well, they’ve somehow pieced together a team that does things that successful teams do.

The starting pitching is back in gear. Lincecum’s arm isn’t dead. Zito’s coming off a brilliant outing against the New York Mets. Matt Cain reminded fans the other day that only people with no understanding of the game or the patience of a gnat would ever suggest trading him for the ever elusive “big bat” that the Giants always seem to need.

Heck, forget the top three guys in the rotation for a second. The Giants have guys in the fourth and fifth slots who would be in the top three rotation slots for many teams. Madison Bumgarner is flashing signs of being the once-a-generation young pitcher that most teams only dream about. (The fact that he’s the third big-time pitching prospect the Giants have produced in this rotation alone is worth noting before the club loses and someone demands Brian Sabean’s head on a platter.)

And, the pitcher folks feel would be so easily to replace if he was traded for that “bat” pitched well again, too. The idea of messing with this rotation and trading Jonathan Sanchez to get a hitter like Corey Hart is ludicrous. Fans and media types who insist that no team has a good fifth starter and that Sanchez is expendable are loopy. There is a precipitous drop-off from Sanchez or Bumgarner to Joe Martinez. Man, how quickly people forget how dreadful things were when the Giants just had any, old fifth starter and he was Todd Wellemeyer.

The bullpen’s in chaos but the burning need to trade for a set-up man subsided a little on Monday when Jeremy Affeldt looked like he did in 2009. Everybody wants to trade for a vetean set-up man, while ignoring that the new guy would cost a prospect and would come with no more assurance of success than Affeldt does. Affeldt got an NL MVP vote last year. And, folks think just some guy on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster can come west and most assuredly be better than Affeldt could be when, as relievers so often do, he rights himself out of the blue?

Brian Wilson has become a lock-down closer. He’s still not at the level of consistency that Robb Nen was in his prime, but not many closers were as good as Nen in his prime.

The Giants are winning because the pitching staff appears in good shape at the right time of the season.

The biggest reason this this Giants hot streak is the real thing centers around the middle of the batting order. There are three, big-time run producers in the lineup. And, none of them cost the organization Sanchez or a package of prospects.

Aubrey Huff is having a big-time season with the bat and, frankly, playing defense and running the bases so well that teams who labeled him nothing more than a designated hitter seemed to have look right past the things he can do.

Buster Posey has become, well, Buster Posey. The phenom is hitting like a phenom. He’s batting fourth and hitting the devil out of the ball — even with the power some insisted he would never have. He’s handling the pitching staff, in spite of everyone saying he couldn’t do such a thing. And, is he making it tough on would-be base-stealers?

Where are the folks who suggested that Pablo Sandoval be sent to the minor leagues to rebuild his confidence or his swing or both? Patience, man, it’s a beautiful thing. Sandoval couldn’t have had the season he had in 2009 if he was really incapable of breaking the slump that haunted him through the first half of this season.

It was written here that Sandoval would supply the offense that others insisted could only come in trade. He has pounded the ball from both sides of the plate since the All-Star break. And, don’t mumble something about five games being a small sample size. Sandoval crushed the ball through the entire 2009 campaign and — he’s doing the same thing over the last five games. He showed what he can do last year. He’s doing it again right now.

The Giants are for real because they have two home-grown run-producers in the middle of an order anchored by Huff. Again, those who will want Sabean fired again at some point need to realize that four of the five starting pitchers, the closer and two of the top three run-producers came out of the Giants farm system. There are lots of teams with general managers who’d like to be able to boast of that type of minor league production.

Bruce Bochy’s going to get blamed for losing games. There’s no getting around that. He’s found a formula that works for this Giants team and is getting incredible output from first baseman Travis Ishikawa, center fielder Andres Torres and left fielder Pat Burrell. Ishikawa didn’t suddenly wake up a .340 hitter. Bochy’s used him against pitchers where matchups favor Ishikawa. The same has been true for Burrell. And, they’ve produced.

Oh, yeah, when fans are lining up to gripe that Bochy always sticks with veterans or high-paid players no matter what — remember that Aaron Rowand is a reserve outfielder and that Torres has won the center field job and has been a catalyst in the lead-off spot.

Bochy doesn’t have patience? He wouldn’t give John Bowker or Nate Schierholtz a chance? Not so fast. OK? Not so fast.

Torres won the job in center and got the lead-off spot — and kept it. When he slumped, Bochy stuck with him. If Bochy was pulling names out of a hat like his critics suggest, Torres would’ve been out of the lineup before the break.

Just because this Giants team is on a hot streak that makes them real postseason contenders does not mean that they’ll win five of six, 10 of 12, 16 out of 18 and 25 out of 27. They’ll be on a roller coaster, like most other teams in the National League. The bullpen will let some games get away and, eventually, Posey won’t be hitting at a .500 clip. (Of course, by then, Freddy Sanchez could be hitting like the NL batting champion he once was.)

San Francisco beat the Dodgers on Monday because Schierholtz, the guy who many whine never gets a chance, hit a two-run home run. Add Ishikawa and Schierholtz to the list of home-grown Giants contributing on Monday.

Now, really, would it improve the Giants markedly if they could get Jose Guillen from the Kansas City Royals to play right field? Fans have called for Schierholtz to get a chance and Rowand has shown that he can help in spots coming off the bench. Guillen’s a remarkable upgrade? For sure? Even if his arrival means Schierholtz becomes a full-time late-inning defensive replacement and Rowand bumps Torres out of the lineup more often?

Didn’t think so.

Forget getting Hart from the Milwaukee Brewers. No baseball man on the planet would trade Bumgarner to get Hart. So, while they’re at it, the Giants should dismiss out of hand the idea of creating a hole in the rotation and gutting the minor league system to get first baseman Prince Fielder. The San Diego Padres aren’t running away from the pack and, really, isn’t it more fun to be pulling for Giants we know as opposed to some highly-paid slugger who just happens to be wearing the black and orange uniform?

There might be a time, perhaps soon, when everyone groans, “They have to trade for a shortstop,” or “(Pick a reliever) has blown his last game! He has to go!”

Remember, though, that after the first game of the Dodgers series in Los Angeles in late July — the Giants had the pieces in place to be considered a real postseason contender. And, the bulk of the talent making that so came out of the Giants farm system.

Eugenio Velez is on the big league roster so the potential exists for a disastrous mistake that costs the club a game, and brings Sabean’s ability to fill the roster into question. Wilson will pitch — a lot — and the question will come up about how many times the closer can do the job without some help.

This isn’t the first chapter of a fairytale that will certainly end with the Giants winning the World Series. Got it?

It’s just written record that, really, the Giants have what it takes to win.

—

Ted Sillanpaa is a Northern California sports writer and columnist. Reach Ted at: tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com

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Ah, the Major League Baseball All-Star break.

It marks the Show’s midway point even though most teams have played 88 contests, which is seven past the actual hump in the 162-game slate.

Regardless, the breather in the figurative middle of the season means it’s time for every club to take stock of the first half and decide what the modified plan of attack will be for the last three months.

More specifically, it’s about time to decide whether you’re a buyer or a seller.

To be or not to be…a contender.

For some, that’s easier said than done.

For the San Francisco Giants, it’s an especially tenuous time because the squad is obviously a contender in the National League West and the Wild Card.

As flawed as the team may be, nobody else in either race can claim to be running on all cylinders.

That generally means general manager Brian Sabean would be looking for shiny toys to shore up the roster.

Namely, a big bat.

The perception of San Francisco is that it’s all pitch and no hit. In reality, the pitching hasn’t been as good as its reputation, and the hitting hasn’t been as bad.

The arms have still been excellent, but the sharp edge that both the rotation and bullpen began the year with has disappeared. Walks and sloppy innings have replaced it.

Meanwhile, the offense has been anemic, but the emergence of Aubrey Huff (.295/.384/.544 and 17 HR), Buster Posey (.350/.389/.569 and 7 HR in 137 AB), Andres Torres (.281/.378/.483 and 17 SB), and the steadying presence of Freddy Sanchez (.285/.348/.360) have given los Gigantes a solid quartet of contributors.

What’s more, Buster and Franchez didn’t join the lads until late May, whereas Torres spent most of April in a platoon before running away with a regular spot in the lineup.

That putrid smell wafting from the bats should smell a lot sweeter as those three pile up the PT.

Finally, the overdue trade of Bengie Molina to the Texas Rangers has allowed Posey to assume the catcher-of-the-future mantle. Consequently, Gerald Demp the Third no longer needs to jam up the works at first base.

With the kid behind the dish, it’s opened up more playing time for first baseman Travis Ishikawa (.354/.394/.538 and 15 RBI in 65 AB), outfielder Pat Burrell (.286/.365/.484 and 5 HR in 91 AB), and outfielder Nate Schierholtz.

Nate the Great’s been struggling of late at the plate (take that, Dr. Seuss) so his numbers won’t blow your skirt up, but his fleet feet and cannon arm are large assets even when his bat goes limp.

Plus, he hadn’t been seeing regular plate appearances so don’t judge the 26-year-old too harshly.

Ultimately, jettisoning Big Money has created some semblance of consistency in manager Bruce Bochy’s game of musical lineup cards, and the early returns have been promising.

Since the Molina trade on July 1, the Orange and Black has seen its runs-scored per at-bat jump to 0.18—San Francisco had registered a 0.12 R/AB from April through June. That’s about a 50 percent hop.

Granted, the post-trade sample size of 11 games is quite small and eight of the contests came against the Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals (two of the less impressive pitching staffs in the National League).

But it bears mentioning nonetheless, especially because the Gents were matched up with Ubaldo Jimenez (whom they roughed up) and Stephen Strasburg (whom they did not) for two of those 11.

Translation: there’s reason to believe the Giant offense will continue to improve on the season’s back slope, just as there is to believe the pitching will rediscover its April/May rhythm.

Nevertheless, trade rumors are very much driven by public perception.

As mentioned, that means the winds have been blowing whispers of San Francisco sniffing around lumber at various times.

Names like Prince Fielder and Corey Hart of the Brew Crew have been most frequent, but the Nats’ Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham have surfaced, as have the Kansas City Royals’ David DeJesus and Jose Guillen .

The two Royals could probably be acquired on the cheap, so I wouldn’t necessarily be against either addition.

DeJesus is steady across the board, but not spectacular in any facet; plus, he’s 30. Guillen is one-dimensional and 34—enough said.

So the asking price shouldn’t be prohibitive. The problem is that, while neither would be too expensive, neither would be an emphatic upgrade.

Which begs the question, why insert another body into an already crowded outfield situation?

Depth is fine, but only if it doesn’t cost a genuine prospect.

On the other hand, the remaining blips on the rumor radar—Dunn, Fielder, Hart, and Willingham—would all be considerable improvements. Each one would also cost an arm and a leg.

The snag here comes in two flavors of budgetary inefficiency.

Mr. Sunglasses at Night or Willingham would immediately become the best outfielder in Orange and Black, unless Huff plans to make this a yearlong renaissance. Unfortunately, the brass would be walking right into a nightmare:

—Check the links, both players are having career years, so SF would be buying high on both players. That’s no bueno.

—Hart enjoys the protection of Fielder and another beast in Ryan Braun. Willingham has Dunn and dazzler Ryan Zimmerman to do the heavy-lifting. They’d be moving from third fiddle to first (or very close to it) as a Giant.

—Miller Park is a band box and Nationals Park has to be a better offensive yard than AT&T Park just because of the scalding D.C. summers. The deep alleys of the City’s jewel and the heavy Bay Area air crush all newcomers holding a bat.

To me, that list screams bad ending to a bad beginning.

On the other hand, the two bigger fellas would require the Price-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named and would be short-term solutions.

Thankfully, Adam Dunn seems like a non-starter, because he’s a free agent following 2010.

The Prince would be a slightly longer rental, since he hits the market following 2011, but who really cares?

The Burly Brewer is represented by a coprophagous (which is a fancy way of saying “s***-eating,” so it should be more popular) insect that will DEFINITELY have his young lefty slugger in the free agent waters following the expiration of his current deal.

There’s also this suspicious little home/away split in almost the exact same number of plate appearances: .275/.414/.544 with 12 HR at home vs. .256/.387/.445 with 8 HR on the road.

So the club would have to mortgage the future and part with one of the rotation studs for a guy who isn’t necessarily a lock to solve its offensive woes? And who’s gonna walk after a year and a half?

No, thanks.

The Giants are most definitely contenders as MLB’s second act opens, which means extra bullpen arms and bench help will probably join the roster.

But when it comes to the big-ticket items, San Francisco should walk away.

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On a day with some tremendous pitching performances, Clayton Kershaw stole the show by striking out 12 and walking none.  Ubaldo Jimenez appears to have righted the ship after a rough patch.  Carl Crawford showed why he is one of the elite outfielders in the game.  Let’s take a look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games.

Pitchers

• Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers (8.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 12 K, W): It was a spectacular performance, to say the least, especially considering the control problems he’s had in the past.  He currently has a 2.96 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, with both numbers being realistic as they are based off a .292 BABIP and 77.6 percent strand rate.  If he could ever get his control completely in order (4.0 BB/9), the numbers could be off the charts.  As it is, with 128 Ks in 112.1 innings, he’s entrenched himself as an elite fantasy option.

• Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros (9.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 8 K, W): Forget about the six wins, it’s only because he pitches for the Astros.  He is now sporting a 3.08 ERA and is one of the better pitchers in the league.  There will be rumors right up until the deadline of potential trades and if he goes to a contender, his value will only increase.

• Ubaldo Jiminez, Colorado Rockies (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K, W): He needed this heading into the All-Star break.  He had struggled over his previous three starts, allowing 17 ER over 17.2 IP.  He finishes the first half with 15 wins and a 2.20 ERA.  Simply amazing, even with the short cold streak.  Obviously it’s impossible to expect him to replicate these types of numbers in the second half, but he certainly will remain one of the elite in the game.

• John Danks, Chicago White Sox (9.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 7 K, W): It was a brilliant performance, and he needed every bit of it to defeat Ervin Santana (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K).  Danks has allowed three earned runs or less in five of his last six starts and has been solid all year long with a 3.29 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.  He has had some luck (.265 BABIP), so there may be a small regression, but he’s proven over the past two and a half years to be a solid option.

• Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 K, W): Just when you think that his value has completely diminished, he draws you back in.  He was awful in interleague play (0-3 allowing 15 ER over 15.2 IP), but now that he’s back pitching against AL opponents he has allowed two earned runs over 13 IP against the Yankees and Twins.  He’s certainly worth stashing for the second half.

• Scott Baker, Minnesota Twins (6.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 4 K): In his last seven starts, he’s allowed four earned runs or more five times.  What is going on?  Before you press the panic button, he entered the game with a BABIP of .338.  That’s really the only difference, as he’s still striking batters out and he’s still hardly walking anyone.  If there’s someone in your league that is fed up with him, I would certainly buy low for the second half (we’ll certainly be talking more about him in the coming days).

• Mat Latos, San Diego Padres (7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 K, W): The real question is if he will face an innings limit or not.  With the Padres competing for the NL West title, there’s no chance of them completely shutting him down.  Could they give him an extra day off or not now and then?  Probably, but that’s about it.  Plus, there is recent for skepticism as he entered the day with a .243 BABIP and 80.8 percent strand rate.  I’ll have to spend much more detail over the All-Star break on what we can expect from him in the second half, but in all likelihood, there is a regression coming.

• Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K): He was solid for the fifth straight start, but the strikeouts continue to be a puzzling trend.  In his last 32.1 innings he’s allowed just three earned runs, but he’s struck out 14 batters.  That’s a terrible mark (3.9 K/9) and unless he can rediscover that, his luck will sooner or later run out.  Considering his trend of fading in the second half, there certainly is cause for concern.

• Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 9 K, W): Pettitte closes the first half at 11-2 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.  Tremendous numbers, but let’s keep in mind that he hasn’t had a sub-4.00 ERA since 2005.  When you dig deeper into his line, you see that he’s benefiting from a .265 BABIP and 80.6 percent strand rate.  I would say it’s likely he sees a regression in the second half, and possibly a major one.  Now may be the best time to sell high on him if there’s an interested owner.

Hitters

• Lance Berkman, Houston Astros (3-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R): Maybe the talk of is demise was a little premature, huh?  He’s now homered in four straight games, going 7-13 with five homers, eight RBI, and six runs.

• Aubrey Huff, San Francisco Giants (2-3, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R): He just keeps hitting and hitting and hitting.  He has his average at .298 with 17 HR and 54 RBI on the year.  He now has a seven-game hitting streak going 11-28 with five home runs, 12 RBI and eight runs.  You certainly want to ride him while he’s hot, and there certainly is the potential to continue driving in runs hitting in the middle of the lineup.

• Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays (2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R): While he’s not a big-time power threat, he’s also more then just a source of speed for fantasy owners.  On the year he’s hitting .321 with 10 HR, 48 RBI, 66 R and 29 SB.  Simply amazing.  In July, he’s gone 15-27 with three homers, 10 RBI, nine runs and a stolen base.  That begs the question, where has the speed gone?  Then again, is anyone really worried with the production he’s provided?  He’s one of the few elite outfielders in the game today.

• Felix Pie, Baltimore Orioles (1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R): Pie has a hit in all three games he’s played since coming off the DL, going 4-13 with one home run, three RBI, and a run scored.  We’ve all heard about his potential and it appears that he’s going to get the chance to play everyday in the second half.  That certainly should put him on the radar of those in five-outfielder formats, but given his history we need to give him more time to prove his value.

• Kelly Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks (4-5, 3 RBI, 2 R): After his amazing April he had faded significantly in May (3 HR, .245) and June (1 HR, .235).  In July, things are looking up significantly.  He’s now hitting .417 (10-24) with one home run, eight RBI, five runs scored and a stolen base for the month.  Keep in mind, in May he had seven RBI and 10 in June.  The fact is, he’s not as good as he was in April and he’s not as bad as he was in May and June.  I would expect him to be solid, though without the power he initially showed, the rest of the way.

• Rafael Furcal, Atlanta Braves (3-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB): He did a little bit of everything in this one, showing his full range of abilities.  He’s a must-use in all formats right now.

Who were the night’s big performers in your minds? Anyone else jump out at you? Any thoughts on the guys I mentioned here?

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