Kuzul

Bengie Molina didn’t win the the San Francisco Giants’ Willie Mac Award twice because him teammates liked how he looked in his uniform. He was, obviously, a very popular and respected teammate.

Let’s put the idea that his departure to the Texas Rangers will spell doom for Giants pitchers to rest immediately, however.

Molina calls a great game. Tim Lincecum admits often that he feels he should share his Cy Young Awards with the veteran catcher. So, since the pitcher won’t do it, someone should mention that the right-hander should share half of the difficulties he has experienced in the last two months with Molina, too.

Matt Cain struggled early, went through a period where he was the best right-hander in the National League, but has had a couple of rough outings. Cain acknowledges how valuable Molina was to his development as a pitcher and to his success. Again, let’s point out that Molina was doing his job exactly as he did during Cain’s hot streak when Cain pitched poorly.

The Giants pitchers, who have been so fabulous for so long, have hit their first group slump in two years. So, if the hard times continue — let’s remember that Molina was on hand and calling pitches when the starting staff began to pitch like mere mortals, OK?

It’s going to be really tempting, with the Giants at the point where being swept in Colorado could turn them from NL West contenders to division longshot, to look back in two weeks and mumble, “What were the Giants thinking trading Molina? Cain and Lincecum haven’t won a game since he left? Buster Posey can’t handle this staff…”

Buster Posey and veteran Eli Whiteside can handle the staff. The catcher suggests the pitch and the location. The pitcher has to deliver the pitch to the spot where the hitter can make solid contact. And, even though they are still young in baseball years, Lincecum, Cain and Jonathan Sanchez have a good idea of what they need to throw and when to throw it. Sanchez, actually, has had Whiteside catching him most of the season. Barry Zito calls his own game.

Madison Bumgarner’s 20 years old. Posey knows him better than any catcher in the Giants organization. The Giants coaching staff should know every National League hitter Bumgarner and Posey will face. There’s not a reason in the world for Bumgarner’s progress as a big leaguer to be hindered if the guys who get paid to help the players do actually help Posey figure out NL hitters.

This is the point in a season where it’d be really easy for a team to make excuses for losing. Worse, it’s a time when the Giants are fading and really could be looking for one reason to say, “OK. That’s it! We give up!”

That holds for Pablo Sandoval, too. He’s failed to perform at the same level he did a year ago. He hasn’t been the lovable, run-producing Panda all season. So, there’s no reason in the world for anyone to point to Sandoval’s performance going forward and say, “He really misses Molina. The club never should’ve traded the guy.”

The Molina trade is not, and should never be, used as an excuse for any failure the Giants pitching staff experiences. If he had that much to do with the staff success, the staff wouldn’t be struggling today, right? And, Sandoval might miss his good friend — but, Molina apparently wasn’t able to get him going with the bat this season either.

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

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Friday marked the sixth time Bleacher Report and I have been welcomed into the press box at the Oakland Coliseum. My five previous trips were all stellar experiences, but this one felt different the minute I crossed the parking lot’s threshold.

Generally when I arrive around 3:30 pm, the lot is dotted with one hand’s worth of early birds. Today, the number was closer to triple digits.

Barbecues were in full smoke, games of catch featuring both footballs and baseballs were breaking out, and there was a general air of festivity hanging over the scene.

Once inside the stadium, the special atmosphere only got thicker.

More than a few t-shirts amongst the media members had been replaced by suits and ties, glitterati from the Bay Area press were out in full force, and there was even a cluster of representatives from a Chinese television station that were clearly there for the spectacle and nothing else.

When you’re pulling dudes to a baseball game who have to ask what a perfect game is, you know you’re a big deal.

To remove any doubt that the day was unique, Oakland manager Bob Geren was downright jovial in his session with the media. Heretofore, I’d only seen a no-nonsense version face the barrage of questions.

This time, however, he was hamming it up with Kate Longworth of CSN Bay Area and kidding around with other reporters in the pool.

Sure, the pregame ceremony celebrating Dallas Braden’s perfect game had something to do with the warm-fuzzies.

The southpaw was already popular with Oakland Athletic fans, but he vaulted into “adored” status following the stout defense of his pitching mound from the onrushing hordes (yes, a juiced up Alex Rodriguez counts as a horde). Consequently, the perfecto he twirled on Mother’s Day launched him into even more cherished territory.

Possibly divine.

So more than a few of the faithful were there to see the home team honor Stockton’s favorite son. Furthermore, baseball history typically puts a smile on the organization that authors it.

Nevertheless, this was more about the main event—the first game of the 2010 Bay Bridge Series between the A’s and their cross-Bay rivals, the San Francisco Giants.

For many baseball aficionados in the City and Oakland, this is as good as it gets on a diamond.

Major League Baseball’s Northern Californian constituents have met 74 times since Interleague play began and rarely fail to deliver a tense, exciting game. To that end, familiarity has only nurtured contempt bred by the 1989 Bay Bridge World Series—at least as far as the fans are concerned.

The green and gold leads the regular season confrontations with a 39-35 record as it does the postseason meetings (13-5). All is not gloom and doom for the Orange and Black, though, as it has taken seven of the last eight contests, so it’s a nip/tuck type affair.

The current iteration promises to bring more of the same.

Both franchises come into the series deploying a similar formula to win—superlative pitching, solid defense (better than that in Oaktown’s case), and timely hitting. If matchups make a metaphoric fight, this three-gamer should be a bloody knuckle war of attrition because both sides have had success with the approach.

Granted, some of the attrition has already started as the pair comes in scuffling.

San Francisco has fallen all the way to third place in the National League West, courtesy of a recent jag that’s seen the fellas lose eight of their last 13 games and three of four. As has been the case all year, los Gigantes had a devil of a time navigating local waters—dropping six of those eight to NL West foes in the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Meanwhile, the smell emanating from the Elephants’ dugout is no sweeter.

The Athletics have eaten L’s in seven of their last nine trips to the yard, including two straight after a couple of victories over the Seattle Mariners broke a five-game slide. Coincidentally, all five were against American League West opponents.

In other words, it was the classic “something’s got to give” scenario.

Give it did as the Athletics touched up a resurgent Barry Zito.

The Junior Circuit reps used some very well-placed, bloop doubles to conjure up a trio of runs in the bottom of the third inning and didn’t look back from there. The Gents’ lefty pitched well before tiring in the seventh, but the knocks came in bunches and the result was a six-spot on the scoreboard before he hit the showers.

Ex-Giant Rajai Davis, who tipped his hand early with a loud batting practice, was the main culprit. The speedster landed the most crippling of the bloopers in the third, stole third base, and notched a sacrifice fly to plate the third of his three RBI from the No. 9 hole.

On the mound, a suffocating blend of Trevor Cahill, Brad Ziegler, and Craig Breslow kept the San Francisco lumber in check—an increasingly easy task at the moment. In fairness, the visiting offense did manage to bang out eight hits.

Alas, the Oakland hurlers were able to sprinkle the damage harmlessly throughout the nine frames (only John Bowker tallied a run for SF) and secure a much-needed W.

In so doing, the home team tied a neat bow on an ideal evening for the organization.

And it ruined one for the San Francisco Giants.

**www.pva.org**

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There are certain players in baseball who have been fantasy studs over the first month and a half of the season that would help any team. At the same time, there are players who have overperformed and are bound to come back to life.

In this list, I will point to five players who have been fantasy stars so far and helped your team win that are not going to be able to hold up this level of production throughout the season. I will also list five players who’s skills at the plate or on the mound does not transition well to the fantasy game. They may be decent fantasy players, but they are better assets to their actual team than your fantasy roster.

Basically, I am listing five players who have been great in fantasy that I would not want on my favorite team. And in contrast, I am listing five players who I would love to have on my favorite team but I would not be upset if they didn’t wind up on my fantasy team.

Enjoy!

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David Ortiz may be starting to turn a corner, as he’s hit safely in his last six games and driven in 11 runs over his last nine. Still, it’s a bit early to tell if Big Papi will ultimately prove worth the $12.5 million he’s earning in 2010.

It’s unlikely, for Ortiz hasn’t earned his keep sabermetrically since the 2007 Championship season.

While the Fenway Faithful fight only mildly fight the urge to boo their overpaid, aging slugger, other fan bases around MLB are experiencing quite the opposite sensation:

They aren’t quite sure if they should wholeheartedly cheer their aging, seemingly overpaid, but resurging, stars.

Names like Barry Zito, Carlos Silva, Scott Rolen, and Vernon Wells are on their lips, and they’re shocked to find themselves cheering their once fading heroes.

Here are the top 10 greatest comebacks thus far in 2010.

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I wanted to write this blip after the Giants’ loss to the Rockies on Sunday, prolonging their trend of taking the series then failing to sweep. It would have been more honest perhaps, and certainly a bit more dour than my current assessment after 2 impressive wins against the Marlins.

In the loss to the Rockies last Sunday, Jonathan Sanchez looked very good early on but ran into trouble in the fourth and fifth innings. He was pulled with runners on first and third with one out in the fifth. He had only given up one run at this point and we’ll never know if he would have had a meltdown.

That’s okay though since Brandon Medders would come in and have one for him.

Medders, after an impressive 2009 season with a 3.01 ERA, averaging 8.3 hits per 9 innings, unfortunately has become this year’s Keiichi Yabu. Thus far in 2010, he has a 6.23 ERA and is averaging 17.7 H/9.

The Giants’ bats have cooled but are still batting an impressive .276. They are averaging 4.75 runs per game – more than enough run support for all their starters with the exception of Todd Wellemeyer who’s begun to turn things around. In his last start, Wellemeyer went 7 innings, giving up just 3 hits and 2 ER in a win against the Phillies.

My biggest case of eating crow has been Eugenio Velez. I’ve always acknowledged that he had ADD on the field but with the raw talent he has displayed from time to time, I thought he was due to arrive. And like he did for a short period in 2008 and 2009, he did and then checked out again.

On the pitching front, Romo has learned a couple of valuable lessons the hard way but who can’t be impressed with his performance last night after coming in to the game with no outs and the bases loaded? Medders as acknowledged above is looking weak and vulnerable every time he steps up to the mound and Jeremy Affeldt who looked nearly invincible last year has been struggling.

But anyway you slice it, the 2010 Giants are without question superior to the 2009 version in several ways.

Even if the struggling De Rosa and the competent Aubrey Huff don’t amount to much in personal stats, they have already helped change the batting approach of their once free swinging teammates. Matt Downs is undoubtedly a superior batter than he was last year. Nate Schierholtz is becoming a consistent hitter and playing all around better baseball. Aaron Rowand continues to suggest that spring wasn’t a fluke. His 2 out, ninth inning HR Monday night was nothing short of heroic.

And what about Barry Zito? He’s been unbelievable so far in 2010. He and Tim Lincecum are undefeated for a combined 9-0 record. And with Matt Cain getting his stuff together and Jonathan Sanchez’s filth, it’s hard to think of a more formidable pitching rotation.  

Even the Giants-hating John Kruk last night predicted that the team will take the NL West.

Yesterday was a good day for Giants fans all around. The Padres and Rockies beat on one another into extra innings with the Padres falling in the end. And prior to Zito’s first pitch against the Marlins, the Panda and the Comeback Kid shared a hug.

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The San Francisco Giants sure aren’t making it easy on a guy thus far in 2010.

With Ultimate Fighting Championship 113 erupting this weekend in Montreal, I’ve been meaning to take a look at what is sure to be an epic rematch between Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

In addition, there’s a crackerjack bout between Paul “Semtex” Daley and Josh “Kos” Koscheck with the winner rumored to get a shot at UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre. GSP is arguably the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world.

Suffice it to say there’s sure to be quite a bit of seismic MMA coming out of the Bell Centre. That means there’s a ton to discuss and I really want to oblige.

The problem is that my beloved Giants keep winning. Not only that, they keep doing so in impressive fashion that demands comment.

We could use Tuesday’s gem from Tim Lincecum, subsequent arson by Sergio Romo, and resilient effort from the offense to finally secure the win as an example. It would make a good one, especially because it included a two-out, game-tying bomb from Aaron Rowand in the top of the ninth.

However, Wednesday’s twinkler from Barry Zito and a second straight defeat of the young Florida Marlins makes for a better offering.

At this point, Baked Zito’s brilliance is almost yawn worthy. Almost.

Although he’s been exceptional in the early going, the crafty southpaw’s turn in the Sunshine State pushed him over the hump in my mind. I’m no longer waiting for the wheels to fall off when this little run ends.

It will certainly end and Barry will get shelled like every other pitcher in Major League Baseball eventually does.

But no way he regresses back to the whisper of a Cy Young winner he was until the middle of 2009. The elder statesman of the rotation has strung together too many confidence-enhancing trips to the bump for the mirage to dissolve completely.

Any eventual hiccup will be simply that, a hiccup.

As proof, take a look at his Wednesday work.

Zito had all of his pitches working and turned the ferocious Fish into the flailing variety just as Lincecum had the previous night. Granted, he only registered a fraction of the Freak’s whiffs (four vs. 13), but he effectively removed the sting from the lumber and thusly only surrendered a fraction of the runs as well (one vs. three).

If not for a couple nickle-and-dimers in the eighth inning, he wouldn’t have suffered a blemish in the run department.

The confidence Zito’s been showing of late—in his demeanor, his pitch selection, and pitch execution—was on full display in Sun Life Stadium. It doesn’t come easily and, happily, it’s not lost easily either.

Barry obviously missed it for a few years, there, but he’s got it back. I bet he holds onto it for dear life now that he’s seen rock bottom and emerged from the valley.

Of course, the good news doesn’t stop there.

After the Baseball Gods put Zito’s goodies in the eighth inning ringer, the pseudo-goat from Tuesday entered a bases-loaded nightmare with nobody out and Hanley Ramirez gliding to the plate. The tying run jittered off second base and Romo had to record all three outs, beginning with arguably the Bigs’ hottest hitter.

I’m sure all the Giant “fans” who love to hate Bruce Bochy had their pitchforks out and were whetting the second-guessing tips as Romo took his warm-ups.

Sadly for that courageous group, Sergio broke off three wicked sliders and retired Hanley on three pitches. Three swings, actually, that weren’t even close. For good measure, the righty set-up ace used another three pitches to induce an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

Ahem, that’s the No. 3 and No. 4 hitters dispatched using a mere six-shooter despite the sacks drunk with Marlins and essentially no room for error.

Crisis averted, reliever redeemed, weapon in place, and we have Boch to thank for it.

Must’ve just been luck.

I guess I could spell out the finer points of Bochy’s managerial acumen, but why bother? Romo did an infinitely better job with emotion than I could ever do with words when asked by Duane Kuiper how he felt about his manager’s willingness to run him right back out into a zero-margin situation:

“Huge, HUGE, [chuckle], thank you, Bochy [another chuckle]…that’s all I could ask for, an opportunity to prove myself once again.”

Baseball is a game of faith above all else—if you believe you can perform as necessary, you will and vice versa.

Bruce Bochy knows this and he also knows a well-timed, external vote of confidence can inspire exponentially more of the internal kind.

If you don’t believe me, go ask Sergio Romo.

Or Hanley Ramirez…

**www.pva.org**

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Going into today’s start against the Marlins, Barry Zito has been incredible. He is 4-0 with a 1.53 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 35.1 IP. That is far from the Zito Giants fans were used to seeing from 2007 to the first half of 2009.

How did Barry Zito make this transition from “major” disappointment, to “rebounding” stud?

Here are five aspects that have contributed to Zito’s success from the second half of 2009 to now.

(Information courtesy of Fangraphs.)

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