Kuzul

The San Francisco Giants went into the trading deadline needing to fill three obvious areas of deficiency: a lack of power in the lineup, a lack of depth on the bench and in the bullpen due to the loss of closer Brian Wilson earlier this season.

For Giants’ general manager Brian Sabean, two out of three wasn’t bad.

The late-inning reliever never materialized, because it didn’t exist. The relievers that the Giants were rumored to be interested in were ultimately not legitimate options to replace Santiago Casilla in the ninth inning.

Jonathan Broxton and Brandon League were the two biggest names that were moved on the relief market, and while both throw hard, neither misses enough bats to be considered an upgrade on Casilla. You can’t fault Sabean for failing to acquire bullpen help when the help that was out there wasn’t good enough to warrant selling part of the farm for.

Casilla has been awful over the past month, but his strikeout rate per nine innings (K/9) of 10.2 is much better than that of Broxton (6.31 K/9) or League (5.44 K/9).

In acquiring Marco Scutaro and cash from Colorado for minor league non-prospect Charlie Culberson, Sabean bought low on a player who is a good bet to bounce back in the second half. Scutaro struggled in Colorado, but the main culprit was simply bad luck. Despite an excellent line drive rate, Scutaro saw his batting average drop to .271 from .299 last season.

Scutaro struck out looking in a crucial at-bat on Monday night, but he’s also hitting .400 with a walk in three games since coming to the Giants. With Pablo Sandoval on the shelf, Scutaro is probably the best hitting infielder on the current roster. Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy is going to have a hard time keeping Scutaro out of the lineup when Sandoval returns.

When Sandoval comes back, the Giants could play Scutaro over the light-hitting Ryan Theriot at second base, over the similarly offensively-challenged Brandon Crawford at short, or they could leave Scutaro at third and replace struggling first baseman Brandon Belt with Sandoval. More likely, Scutaro will be a spot starter at all three infield positions, and a massive upgrade over Joaquin Arias and Manny Burriss, who was recently designated for assignment, on the bench.

While the acquisition of Scutaro did not garner the same excitement as Tuesday’s acquisition of Hunter Pence, the deal for Scutaro may turn out to be just as valuable given the low cost to pry him away from Colorado.

The Giants’ acquisition of Pence on Tuesday was more costly in terms of both cash and prospects, but it filled the huge need for thump in the middle of the lineup. The Giants entered Tuesday with the fewest home runs in baseball and the 25th worst slugging percentage.

Pence is having a down year, but his 17 home runs and .447 slugging percentage provide a huge boost to the middle of the Giants lineup. Like Scutaro, Pence is a solid bet to improve over the final two months of the season. His .784 OPS this season is down from his career .823 OPS, and way down from the .872 OPS he put up last season.

The Giants had to part with Nate Schierholtz, number two prospect Tommy Joseph and minor league pitcher Seth Rosin to get Pence. The cost was high, but with the Los Angeles Dodgers acquiring League, Hanley Ramirez and Shane Victorino before the deadline, the Giants were forced into action.

Sabean gets high marks for his deadline work, but that doesn’t automatically mean the Giants will hold off the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks in the tight National League West race. All three teams are evenly matched on paper after the flurry of trade activity over the past week.

While I hated to see Joseph get dealt, Sabean did well to hold onto top prospect Gary Brown as well as all of the Giants’ top pitching prospects. In the end, he gets an ‘A’ for upgrading the roster without dealing Brown, Belt or any of the top arms in the system, and for getting a player in Pence who the Giants control for next season as well.

The only question left to answer is whether or not these moves are enough to hold off the surging Dodgers and Diamondbacks. If the Giants come up short, it won’t be for a lack of in-season activity by their tire-kicking general manager.

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Just in case you’ve hibernated for the past two years, let me update you on the Giants‘ pitching.

Jonathan Sanchez is no longer a Giant. Ryan Vogelsong has stepped in and pitched very well. Barry Zito is playing well. Brian Wilson has a beard, Sergio Romo does too, and Javier Lopez was traded to the Giants and he has played very well.

Oh, and there’s also this other guy named Madison Bumgarner, and he’s pretty good.

Bumgarner stepped in during June 2010, and he played well throughout the regular season. He was good enough to earn a starting spot in the playoffs, where he went 2-0 and pitched in four games (all won by the Giants).

In 2011, he was great, and in 2012, he’s played well too. Although he is only 6-4, his ERA is just above 3.00, and he has anchored San Francisco’s staff. With San Francisco’s offense improving, so should Bumgarner’s stats.

Bumgarner isn’t even in his prime yet, which is a scary thought for opposing hitters. He has great stuff, and he is developing into one of the game’s best pitchers. However, I think he’s already in that class.

Here are four reasons why Bumgarner is one of the MLB‘s best pitchers.

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San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson is lucky he is such an enjoyable person off the field, because his baseball career is in serious doubt.

According to Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune and a bunch of other newspapers, Wilson’s elbow problems aren’t looking good. 

Brian Wilson has structural issues with elbow. Likely looking at surgery says Bochy. Will get second opinion. Will see Dr A ndrews

— Carl Steward (@stewardsfolly) April 14, 2012

Ruh roh. 

Now, I’m no doctor, but I know the words structural, issues, elbow, surgery, doctor and Andrews all in the same tweet is bad news.

Nay, very bad news. 

Wilson has already undergone Tommy John surgery before, although it was way back in 2003 right after the Giants drafted him out of LSU. 

Again, I’m no doctor, but I know two Tommy John surgeries are worse than one, no matter how far apart they come. 

This is sad news because Wilson, when healthy, is a dominating closer. 

He’s recorded at least 35 saves in his last four seasons and has put up an ERA of under 3.15 in three of those. In 2009 and 2010, he struck out an amazing 176 batters in just 145 innings.

That’s a K/9 ratio of 10.9.

But that could all be coming to an end, because returning from a second Tommy John surgery is a tall task, especially considering the velocity Wilson brings to the mound.

For most of his career, Wilson has relied on a fastball that averages just under 96 MPH. His only other major pitch, a slider, also has quite a bit of velocity on it. Essentially, he relied a lot more on making hitters swing and miss rather than painting the corners.

To come back from surgery with that same speed and velocity will be extremely tough for Wilson. If he wants to come back and be successful, he’ll have to learn how to be more precise with his pitches.

For a closer, that’s not always the best way to approach the game.

In other words, another surgery for Wilson is bad, bad news. 

But, hey, that’s not to say he can’t still be a part of our lives.

Wilson has the beard, he has the personality, and he has the acting skills. The 30-year-old has the unique ability to make most people laugh, and just because his future on the diamond is more bleak than ever, it doesn’t mean he can’t continue to make a career in entertainment. 

The elbow is hurt, but the beard is stronger than ever. 

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Some horrible news for Brian Wilson and San Francisco Giants fans:

According to csnbayarea.com:

Head coach Bruce Bochy revealed that Giants closer Brian Wilson is “likely” looking at surgery, after MRI test results revealed structural issues in his throwing elbow. Wilson will seek for a second and most likely a third opinion.

Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News first tweeted:

Brian Wilson has structural issues with elbow. Likely looking at surgery says Bochy. Will get second opinion. Will see Dr Andrews

Amy Gutierrez tweeted that the Giants will likely go to closer “by committee,” using relievers such as Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo. The team may also call up top prospect Heath Hembree to close out games.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson might be heading to the disabled list for an extended period of time. 

Update: Saturday, April 14 at 7:40 p.m. ET

It is not looking good for Wilson seeing action this season. The Bay Area News Group’s Carl Steward reported that an MRI revealed “structural issues” and that both manager Bruce Bochy and trainer Dave Groeschner have resigned themselves to the fact that season-ending surgery is “likely.” 

Bochy also confirmed that it will be closer by committee in his absence. 

Wilson has been struggling with his velocity, and it is now becoming apparent why. The Bay Area News Group’s Carl Steward tweeted out the following news.

Brian Wilson has structural issues with elbow. Likely looking at surgery says Bochy. Will get second opinion. Will see Dr A ndrews

— Carl Steward (@stewardsfolly) April 14, 2012

Wilson previously had Tommy John surgery in 2003. Last season he missed 30 games with an elbow strain. 

Wilson had appeared in two games this season and pitched two innings. He has an ERA of 9.00 for the season with two walks, two strikeouts and a save. 

Wilson has been one of the league’s premier closers. He has recorded at least 36 saves in each of his past four seasons. 

It would be futile to speculate how long Wilson will be out if he does undergo the surgery. Elbow problems are always tricky when dealing with a pitcher, and even minor problems can completely derail a career.

Any prolonged absence will be a big blow to the Giants. Wilson has been their clear-cut first option at closer for the past four seasons.

Without a clear second option to replace him, look for the Giants to turn to a closer by committee approach, and hope that one member of the committee proves to have the makeup to handle the role.  

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From winning the World Series in 2010 to missing the playoffs in 2011, the San Francisco Giants have experienced euphoria and crashed back to earth.

The Giants are a pitching-rich, offensively depleted team. They enter 2012 with one mission in mind: to prove their championship a season ago was not a fluke. It won’t be easy. Everything that seemed to go right on their path to the World Series went wrong the following season.

Will Buster Posey return to form? Can Aubrey Huff find his swing? Does Tim Lincecum have another Cy Young season in the tank? Fans are eager to see if a team largely unchanged during the offseason can overcome the hardships and disappointments of 2011.

Let’s take a look at five major possibilities for the 2012 season.

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Although it is much more uncommon to see tattooed athletes in Major League Baseball when compared with the NBA or the NFL, there are still a number of players who sport the ink. 

From players covered in body art, such as Ryan Roberts of the Arizona Diamondbacks, to the players who are a bit more tame with their tats, I’ll compose a team of these players if they played on the same team. 

Position by position, this is what the tatted team would look like:

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With the San Francisco Giants 8.5 games out of first place with just 18 games remaining in the regular season, the defending world champs face many significant questions as they head into the offseason.

One of those questions, though not directly related to the club’s performance on the field (or is it?), is the subject of The Beard.

We’re all familiar with the tale behind the outgrowth of the massive and formidable jet-black monster that resides on the chin of San Francisco’s All-Star closer.

Brian Wilson began to grow it in 2010 as the Giants approached the stretch run in their race to make the postseason. He told teammates he wouldn’t shave it until the Giants were eliminated from contention.

And we all know how that went.

After the Giants won their first world championship in 56 years, Wilson continued to grow the beard into the offseason and arrived at spring training 2011 with it having doubled in size.

Wilson was apparently very serious about his commitment to growing the beard until the Giants were eliminated from playoff contention, even if it meant the next year.

Well, now it looks as if it’s finally going to happen. The Arizona Diamondbacks are running away with the National League West, and following a frustrating season of injuries and setbacks (including two for Wilson himself), the clock is ticking on San Francisco’s season.

So, will Wilson shave the beard should the Giants be eliminated later this month? And if so, will there be some sort of official ceremony to commemorate the occasion, closing the book on one of the most famous locks of facial hair in baseball history?

Ah, the questions that face the Giants as they approach the offseason. With all of the serious issues for the club to consider, make some time to put all of those aside come the end of September, because something far more important for the moment may be on the horizon.

The Beard will forever be linked with the first World Series championship ever won in San Francisco and might just end up in a showcase somewhere.

The Hall of Fame? AT&T Park? The living room of a rich Giants fan with the winning bid at auction?

Who knows?

One thing’s for certain: The Beard was integral to the world championship in 2010, and it will always have its rightful place in San Francisco Giants lore.

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In the wake of last night’s 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers, the San Francisco Giants received some rather unsettling news: Their star Gatorade bucket is likely out for the season.

Following Brian Wilson’s second consecutive blown save, the All-Star closer returned in a rage to the dugout. It was at this time that Wilson attacked his defenseless target—“Bucky” the Gatorade bucket—with a baseball bat. The attack was unprovoked and appeared to be motivated by Wilson’s frustration.

Bucky sustained serious injuries to his MCLD (Medial Collateral Liquid Dispenser) that will likely require season-ending surgery. This news is particularly devastating to a Giants team that has already endured season-ending injuries to star catcher Buster Posey and starter Freddy Sanchez. Bucky is the team’s starting Gatorade bucket and has compiled an EDA (Earned Drink Average) of 86.23 that leads the major leagues. “Gatie”—Bucky’s backup bucket—is serviceable, but has a career EDA of only 33.62.

The reaction of the Giants thus far can hardly be considered “measured.” General Manager Brian Sabean immediately followed the game by castigating Brian Wilson for his reckless playing style, calling the hit “totally unnecessary” and “unprovoked.” Sabean then assured Wilson and members of the press that his long-term memory was excellent, and it was unlikely that he would ever forget this incident.

A teary-eyed Wilson was spotted after the game, appearing profusely apologetic for the incident. “The last thing I wanted to do was end someone’s season. We all know what Bucky means to the game. It was 102 degrees in Chicago the other day, and when we needed quality relief, that is exactly what Bucky provided. I was careless and foolish,” Wilson said.

Head coach Bruce Bochy summarized the reaction of the rest of the coaching staff and players, stating simply, “It’s a shame…but that’s the way the game works sometimes. All I know is that we’ll have Gatie on the bench the next few months, and we’ll try to find a way to stay refreshed and ready to go. What else can I tell you?”

It was likely that Bucky would have been named to the National League All-Star Team this year, given his statistics and the fact that he won BCOTY (Beverage Container of the Year) last year after being called up in July to become the Giants’ starting Gatorade bucket. Bucky was on the bench when the Giants won the World Series last year and was hoisted before dousing numerous Giants players.

In the aftermath of this incident, some fans are asking if Bucky should return as a Gatorade bucket at all. Some fans have speculated that Bochy might consider moving Bucky to short stop in place of the struggling Miguel Tejada and Brandon Crawford in the unlikely event that he is able to return by season’s end.

Bochy and Bucky both immediately quashed these rumors, with Bucky stating, “I was born to be a Gatorade bucket. My place is on that bench, and that is where I’ll return as soon as I’m healthy.” He will likely have his spot on the bench when he returns, although perpetual bench denizen Mark DeRosa has his eyes on Bucky’s spot. One thing is certain: Both De Rosa and Gatie have their hands full in filling the gap caused by the loss of Bucky. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

When the San Francisco Giants called up Matt Cain in August of 2005, he made his debut as the second youngest pitcher in the major leagues.  Now in his seventh season as a big leaguer, Cain is a seasoned veteran with a laundry list of accomplishments to his credit.  He finished last year’s World Championship season with a 13-11 record with a 3.14 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 177 strikeouts, 61 walks, 223 innings pitched and four complete games (including two shutouts).  

In May alone, he pitched into the sixth inning or later in each of his six starts while giving up nine earned runs on 23 hits with 35 strike outs and 18 walks with an 1.81 ERA.  He was instrumental in the Giants’ regular season success last year and even more so in their postseason World Series run.  Despite his track record of success, he is rarely included in the list of current upper echelon pitchers, and there are five main reasons why. 

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