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The Puerto Rican squad will try to improve on their fifth place 2009 World Baseball Classic showing when they take the field at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan on Friday. The 2013 squad will have a mix of stars as well as prospects that could be making their major league debuts soon.

Here is a breakdown of what you can expect when the Puerto Ricans take the field against Spain on March 8.

Schedule (Round 1 Games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, PR)

Schedule Analysis

The Puerto Ricans open up first round Pool C play this Friday against a weak Spain squad without any notable major leaguers on their roster. The Spaniards will be making their first appearance in the Classic and have the daunting task of not just having to play Puerto Rico on their home field, but also having to play perennial powerhouses Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. The most notable name on the Spaniards roster is Barbaro Canizares, who played briefly with the Atlanta Braves.

If the Puerto Ricans get by Spain as expected, they will face significant challenges from the Venezuelans and the Dominicans. The Venezuelan squad is led by 2012 Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and capable stars Pablo Sandoval and Carlos “Cargo” Gonzalez. The Puerto Ricans will catch a break though, as Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez will be sitting out the Classic.

The next challenge comes in the form of the Dominican Republic squad with several established major league stars led by the New York Yankees’ Robinson Cano. The Puerto Ricans will have to deal with Cano—as well as the speedy Jose Reyes and the always dangerous Hanley Ramirez.

The biggest challenge for the Puerto Ricans will come in the form of starting pitching. It was announced earlier that Javier Vasquez was not going to pitch in the Classic. The Puerto Rican squad will have to rely on unproven talent such as 18-year-old Minnesota Twins farmhand Jose Berrios to anchor their starting staff.  

The Roster

The Puerto Ricans open play with several notable major leaguers on their roster. One of the brightest stars is Carlos Beltran, who hit 32 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals last season. He is also joined by fellow Cardinal Yadier Molina, who will be a valuable asset for the young and inexperienced Puerto Rican staff. Other notables to keep an eye on include 2012 postseason hero Angel Pagan and versatile outfielder Alex Rios.

As mentioned before, they will be without Vasquez, but they will have major league arms Nelson Figueroa and J.C Romero ready to contribute.

Prediction

The Puerto Ricans should be able to handle Spain in their opening round game on Friday. The real challenges, however, will come in subsequent games against the Venezuelans and the Dominicans. Manager Edwin Rodriguez does have a lot of former major league talent such as the likes of Carlos Delgado, Carlos Baerga and Ricky Bones to help guide the young club.

Having a capable coaching staff as well as arguably one of the best catchers in the majors in Molina should help. But you have to wonder whether or not the lack of depth on the pitching staff will haunt the Puerto Ricans as they square off against stiffer competition.  

The Puerto Ricans will most likely win their first game and split their following two games. They should be in a position to advance to the second round in Miami. Ultimately, their lack of pitching depth will do them in, and they should have a difficult time advancing past the second round.

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Heading into the 2011 trading deadline, the San Francisco Giants were 60-44 and clinging to a three game lead over the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West.

Despite losing star catcher and clean-up hitter Buster Posey as well as second baseman and No. 2 hitter Freddy Sanchez to season-ending injuries, the Giants were keeping their heads above water with excellent pitching and defense. Only the Phillies had prevented runs at a better clip than the Giants on the fateful day general manager Brian Sabean pulled the trigger on a deal that sent top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler to the Mets for right fielder Carlos Beltran.

Beltran was supposed to replicate Posey’s production in the middle of the lineup over the final two months of the season to give the Giants a chance to defend their World Series title. When he was healthy enough to play, Beltran held up his end of the bargain by hitting .323/.369/.551 down the stretch. Unfortunately, injuries derailed the season for Beltran and the rest of the team.

As if losing Posey and Sanchez wasn’t enough, Beltran then went on the shelf for 13 games with a wrist strain. Pablo Sandoval battled a shoulder injury that prevented him from hitting right-handed late in the year after missing 41 games earlier in the year with a broken hamate bone.

Closer Brian Wilson threw only five innings over the final two months due to an elbow problem. Set-up man Sergio Romo missed 16 games with elbow inflammation. Finally, to add insult to a series of injuries, Jeremy Affeldt suffered a season-ending injury trying to separate frozen hamburger patties.

The injuries—combined with poor performances from several able-bodied players including 2010 heroes Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross and Andres Torres—led to a two-month collapse directly after the Beltran trade. The Giants were swept in a three-game road series in Cincinnati to close out July—sending them into a tailspin from which they would never recover.

After winning their first game with Beltran in the fold, the Giants went 25-32 the rest of the way to finish eight games behind the Diamondbacks in the NL West. Beltran bolted in free agency and the Giants couldn’t even get draft pick compensation due to a provision in his contract that prevented him from being offered arbitration.

Meanwhile, Wheeler is now rated as one of the best prospects in the game with a fastball that reaches 97 MPH, a nasty curve and a developing changeup. He looked dominant in his first outing of the spring on Saturday, and he could make his professional debut this season. With Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito set to hit free agency after this season, Wheeler would be set to take over a rotation spot next season if the Giants hadn’t dealt him.

However, the now infamous trade wasn’t a failure just because Wheeler is now developing into a frontline arm and Beltran didn‘t carry the Giants into the postseason in 2011. The Giants were desperate for offense and Beltran was the best bat available. They had a title to defend and acquiring an All-Star caliber middle-of-the-order bat like Beltran was their best shot to make up for the loss of Posey.

The one possible quibble with the trade that doesn’t get mentioned very often is that the Giants appeared to choose to insert Wheeler into the deal instead of a top position player prospect like Gary Brown. Sabean said at the time of the trade (via Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle),

We didn’t think [Zack] Wheeler was going to impact our situation in the immediate future. Quite frankly, it’s our job to find another Wheeler or develop another Wheeler. Once we decided we weren’t going to part with position players, we decided to go down this path.

While he didn‘t come out and say that the Giants decided to deal Wheeler over Brown, he implied it somewhat by saying that the organization had concluded not to deal any position players, and Brown was the top position player in the system at that point. However, it’s also possible that the Mets wouldn’t have made the deal with Brown inserted for Wheeler.

It’s also important to note that Brown’s stock was much higher at the time of the deal than it is now. He finished 2011 with a .336/.407/.519 batting line, 53 steals and the reputation of being a potentially elite defensive center fielder. He entered last season as Baseball America’s 38th best prospect, only three spots behind Wheeler.

Brown’s stock has dropped significantly after a down year at Double-A Richmond, while Wheeler’s star has risen drastically after a big year in the upper levels of the minor leagues. Yet prospects are unpredictable, and next year at this time the Giants might be happy to have Brown over Wheeler depending on how both prospects perform this season. 

In the end, it’s not fair to evaluate the trade in hindsight. At the time of the deal, there was no way to predict that Beltran and the rest of the roster would be besieged by injuries. There was no way to know that Wheeler would take a leap forward while Brown would drop off in 2012.

The cost of trying to defend a championship was high in parting with Wheeler. Yet if the Giants had stood pat and then collapsed down the stretch, pundits would have been hollering at Sabean for not doing everything in his power to get the Giants back into the postseason.

The 2011 season started to collapse with a three-game sweep in Cincinnati. Thus, it was only fitting that the 2012 season took off with a three-game sweep in the NLDS over the Reds back in Cincinnati to propel the Giants to their second World Series championship in three years. It was even more fitting that Beltran’s new team, the St. Louis Cardinals, were the opponent the Giants knocked off next to advance to the World Series.

The Beltran trade didn‘t help the Giants defend their title in 2011. However, two years later, the Giants are back on top of the world anyway.

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The St. Louis Cardinals should still be viewed as serious contenders in the second half of the 2012 MLB season despite the loss of Chris Carpenter.

While the loss of any team’s co-ace starting pitcher is a huge blow, the Cardinals have already shown this year that they have what it takes to weather the storm.

In Carpenter’s absence, the team has put together an impressive first half.

With as many as seven key players on the disabled list at once, the Cardinals pushed through a tough May and a tougher early June to find themselves only 2.5 games out of first place and six games over .500 at the All-Star break.

Given the Cardinals’ tough schedule in June and the problems they faced, they could easily be much farther down in the standings.

Following are four reasons the Cardinals will still be legitimate contenders without Carpenter.

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One St. Louis Cardinal is rapidly making his way toward a rather exclusive club this season. Carlos Beltran is within hitting distance, no pun intended, of the 300-300-2000 club.

This status is reserved for players who have hit 300 home runs, stolen 300 bases and amassed 2,000 hits over their career. Lots of talk has floated about Beltran hitting 300-300, but the 2,000 hasn’t gotten much attention.

As of Tuesday, June 12, 2012, Beltran has 320 home runs, 299 stolen bases and 1,977 hits. Barring a major injury, he will make the club in 2012 without breaking a sweat.

Following are the few players who have made the club, including a few near-misses.

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After the loss of star slugger Albert Pujols to free agency over the winter, the Cardinals were seen as a team surely on the mend. 

Yes, the team had just won its second World Series in its third appearance of the past decade, bettering Susan Lucci’s Emmy success ratio by a mile. And yes, the team retained its perennial Cy Young Award candidate Adam Wainwright. But still, many commentators saw the departure of ol’ No. 5 as the death knell of the Cardinals dynasty.

And they were completely wrong.

The St. Louis Cardinals have shot out of the gate this season, and despite the departure of Pujols, they haven’t missed a beat. At 16-10, they’re sitting pretty atop the NL Central. So what are the team’s keys to success?  What’s in the Cardinals’ secret sauce?

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Continuing in Dugout Central’s annual pre-season ritual, I am going to present my predictions for the National League Heartland – er – Central Division in 2012. Last year saw an early-season surge by the generally hapless Pittsburgh Pirates, only to see them fall right back in the race where they’ve been for the better part of 20 seasons. July 17 saw Milwaukee Brewers pick-up Zack Greinke out-duel then-Cub Carlos Zambrano 2-0 to put the Brewers up half a game on the St. Louis Cardinals and 1.5 on Pittsburgh. The Brewers didn’t look back, going 41-17 from that game to win their first division title in 29 years. However, the last laugh was had by the Cardinals, who snuck into the wild card spot and defeated the Brewers in the NLCS en route to their NL-best 11^th World Championship.

There were some major shake-ups both in the front office and on the field, ensuring that 2012 would be an exciting new year for the division.

Chicago Cubs

2011: 71-91, 5th Place, 25 GB, Scored 4.04 R/G (8^th in NL), Allowed 4.67 R/G (14^th in NL)

Key Losses: Aramis Ramirez (3B), Carlos Pena (1B), Carlos Zambrano (SP)

Key Additions: David Dejesus (OF), Ian Stewart (3B), Paul Maholm (SP)

Why they could win it all: The bright spot on the Chicago Cubs last year was the left side of the infield. While Aramis Ramirez packed his bags and moved up north, the Cubs feature one of the bright young stars in the game in Starlin Castro. Just 21 years old, Castro led the National League in hits last year with 207. A little more patience on both sides of the ball (he had almost as many errors as walks) will result in him being one of the players that the Cubs can build around moving forward.

Why they could fail: The Cubs completely revamped their front office by bringing in Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, both of whom have been successful executives at the big league level. However, the damage from the Hendry regime has been done. Alfonso Soriano is eating a tremendous amount of payroll to play poorly (just 2.0 WAR total since 2009), as is Carlos Zambrano (to play for Miami). A 1-year turn-around just won’t be possible with the mess left-over. However, a big payroll and smart people to manage it may mean good things for the Cubs in the future as it did for the Red Sox.

What to watch: Alfonso Soriano needs to go, as he is deadweight in most aspects of his game. His .289 OBP and lackluster outfield defense have made his 136 million dollar contract one of the worst in history. Look for the Cubs to exploit a possible fast start by Soriano and turn it into a trade to an AL team, where he could potentially serve as a platoon DH. The key won’t be the player acquired, but rather the amount of salary his new team will be willing to eat.

2012 Prediction: 66-96, 5^th place

Cincinnati Reds

2011: 79-83, 3^rd Place, Scored 4.54 R/G (2nd in NL), Allowed 4.44 R/G (12^th in NL)

Key Losses: Francisco Cordero (RP)Edgar Renteria (SS), Edinson Volquez (SP), Travis Wood (SP), Yonder Alonso (1B/OF)

Key Additions: Mat Latos (SP), Sean Marshall (RP), Ryan Madson (RP)

Why they could win it all: Remember that the Reds did win the division in 2010, posting over 90 wins before falling to Roy Halladay and the Phillies in the NLDS. The Reds did out-score their opponents on the year, and made a couple of nice pick-ups in Ryan Madson and Mat Latos. The offense is as potent as ever, with Joey Votto leading the charge as the best 1B in the division with Fielder and Pujols gone (though some may argue he had already reached that plateau).

Why they could fail: The Reds continue to employ Dusty Baker as their manager, so it’s hard to be shocked when they underperform their expected win-loss (not that a manager is necessarily responsible for that, but he can be). The rotation is a mess; Bronson Arroyo’s over the hill, and yet, he was the only Reds starter to make 30 starts last season, besides Mat Latos, recently acquired from the Padres. Latos has had good numbers in his first couple seasons, but he’s going from pitching half his games at the most pitcher-friendly park in the game to starting those games at one of the most hitter-friendly.

What to watch: Drew Stubbs was the leadoff hitter for most of the year. His league-worst 205 strikeouts wouldn’t be so alarming if he followed them up with actual on-base ability…which he does not (just a .321 OBP last year). Here’s a guy with some good tools, but he’s depriving Votto and Bruce of RBI opportunities by reaching so sparingly. Not saying he should be replaced on the team – his center field defense alone makes him worthwhile – but he shouldn’t lead-off.

2012 Prediction: 86-76, 3^rd place

Houston Astros

2011: 56-106, 6^th place, 40 GB, Scored 3.80 R/G (13^th in NL), Allowed 4.91 R/G (16^th in NL)

Key Losses: Jeff Keppinger (IF) Michael Bourn (OF), Hunter Pence (OF) [all mid-season last year]

Key Additions: Like, 100 prospects (including Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart).

 Why they could win it all: Wandy Rodriguez was solid yet again last year; over the past three years, he has a very nice 118 ERA+ and 1.279 WHIP. Unfortunately, he’s no Old Hoss Radbourn, and as such, can’t start every game for the Astros next year. Also, he has about as much chance of being an Astro come the trading deadline as I do.

Why they could fail: They were 56-106, added nothing at the big league level, and will now be without Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn for the entire 2012 season, as opposed to just half of it. The team that once owned this division like nobody’s business in the Killer-B years is now poised to leave it for the American League West, where, on a brighter note, they will have the luxury of facing the Mariners 18 or so times a year. I’ll be nice and give them 55 wins…and I’m thinking that’s probably optimistic.  

What to watch: Carlos Lee is in the final year of a 6-year, 100 million dollar deal that I still don’t understand. Let’s see if he plays well enough to eek out another deal before hanging up his spikes or if El Caballo is happy being a rich guy with 350 career home runs.

2012 Prediction: 55-107, Last Place.

Milwaukee Brewers

2011: 96-66, 1^st Place,  Scored 4.45 R/G (5^th in NL), Allowed 3.94 R/G (6^th in NL)

Key Losses: Prince Fielder (1B), Casey McGehee (3B), Yuniesky Betancourt (SS), Takashi Saito (RP), LaTroy Hawkins (RP)

Key Additions: Aramis Ramirez (3B), Alex Gonzalez (SS), Jose Veras (RP), Norichika Aoki (OF)

Why they could win: The Brewers won the NL Central last season, and while they lost their superstar first baseman Prince Fielder, they patched up their two biggest holes – the left side of the infield. Despite winning 96 games last year, the Brewers featured the absolute worst third baseman and shortstop in the game. Aramis Ramirez has been a fixture in the division for the last decade with both the Pirates and Cubs, making two all-star teams. He won his first silver slugger last season, after hitting .306/.361/.510 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI for the hapless Cubs in 2011. Meanwhile Alex Gonzalez will take over at shortstop; he has roughly the same plate presence as Yuni Betancourt (horrific), but is a well-regarded fielder at the position and will certainly represent an upgrade. Finally, the Brewers have just received a major shot in the arm as their team leader and reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun has been cleared of all charges regarding a failed drug test last October.

Why they could fail: Losing Prince changes the landscape of this offense – Aramis Ramirez just isn’t going to be able to spell the same level of protection for Braun. Furthermore, there are just too many question marks. Will Mat Gamel be the hitter he was always projected to be, or will he be the hitter he has been in parts of 4 big league seasons? Will Randy Wolf continue to defy his peripherals? Will Greinke ever perform even close to the level he did in 2009? And what’s with this Aoki guy? He’s won 3 batting titles in Japan, but can we expect that to even remotely resemble what he does in the Majors? Lastly – does anyone think the Brewers will go 30-18 in 1-run games next season?

What to watch: Corey Hart is obviously going to be playing every day. That leaves two positions – either CF and RF or 1B and CF up for grabs. I say that because Hart can play 1^st and it isn’t clear that Mat Gamel can perform at the big league level. The Brewers have a solid center field platoon lined up with Nyjer Morgan (who hit over .300 last year) and Carlos Gomez (one of the best defenders in the game). But what about the Japanese batting champion, Aoki? Will Morgan show he can replicate his 2011 performance? All we know for sure is that Hart is playing every day and Gomez is only starting against southpaws and finding his ways into other games as a pinch runner and late-inning defensive replacement. All told, this makes for an incredible log-jam – and that’s before you start including all of Morgan’s alter-ego’s.

2012 Prediction: 87-75, 2^nd place

Pittsburgh Pirates

2011: 72-90, 4th place, 24 GB, Scored 3.77 R/G (14^th in NL), Allowed 4.40 R/G (11^th in NL)

Key Losses: Paul Maholm (SP), Ryan Ludwick (OF), Derrek Lee (1B), Jose Veras (RP)

Key Gains: AJ Burnett (SP), Erik Bedard (SP), Casey McGehee (3B), Rod Barajas (C), Clint Barmes (SS)

Why they could win: Gotta hand it to the Pirates – they made quite the turn-around last year. After winning just 57 games in 2010 (while placing last in both runs scored and runs allowed), the Pirates jumped out as contenders early-on and were in first place as late as July 25^th. They went just 19-43 from that point on, however, all while tacking on a pair of has-been veterans in an effort to put them over the top. There exists a fine young group of talented players on this team, however, led by Andrew McCutchen – who had a break-out first half and is one of the best players in the National League.

Why they might fail: Their first half made for a great story but it can be chalked up to flukiness. A lot of players came back down to Earth in a hurry, most of which were to be expected. All-star Kevin Correia struggled mightily in the 2^nd half, failing to qualify for the ERA title, not that his 4.79 mark would have gotten the job done. No Pittsburgh starter made it to 175 innings, and it’s highly unlikely that AJ Burnett will turn that around. No regular hit over .275 or OPS’d over .830 and only McCutchen was a measurable force of any kind. They’ve got a major talent on their hands in center field, but given the Pirates’ history, he’ll be fulfilling that potential in some place besides Pittsburgh.  

Things to watch: Joel Hanrahan emerged out of nowhere last season to be one of the National League’s premier relievers. However, like most closers, he was criminally mis-managed, as Clint Hurdle saved him only for save situations – including an 18-inning affair against the Braves that ended on a blown call. Has Hurdle learned his lesson? The fans at PNC better hope so.

2012 Prediction: 73-89, 4^th Place

St. Louis Cardinals

2011: World Series Champs, 90-72, 2^nd place, 6 GB, Scored 4.70 R/G (1^st in NL), Allowed 4.27  R/G (9^th in NL)

Key Losses: Albert Pujols (1B), Edwin Jackson (SP), Octavio Dotel (RP)

Key Gains: Carlos Beltran (OF), Adam Wainwright (SP)

Why they could win: The departure of one of the greatest players to ever play the game certainly could spell doom, but GM John Mozeliak did a fantastic job of overcoming that loss by signing future hall-of-famer Carlos Beltran to an affordable 2-year deal, locking up Lance Berkman and Chris Carpenter for 2 years before the season even ended, and bringing back spark-plug Rafael Furcal. They would be better off for 2012 with Albert Pujols, but 10 years at 24 million per season was just too much – and I think Mozeliak made the right call by thinking beyond 2012 (apparently, he doesn’t take Mayans too seriously). Holliday-Berkman-Beltran spell the best heart of the order in this division and the return of Adam Wainwright to the rotation means that the Cardinals have the pitching necessary to take them back to the post-season. They are my pick to win the division.

Why they could fail: They did undergo some changes, that’s for sure. Mike Matheny will take over for Tony LaRussa and the great pitching coach Dave Duncan will not be around for 2012, as he is helping his wife, Jeanine during her bout with cancer. And of course, Albert Pujols is no longer a Cardinal. This could have far-reaching effects beyond the .328/.420/.617, 42 HR, 126 RBI line he averaged in eleven years as a Cardinal. Losing Pujols means everyone gets pitched to differently, it means teams can approach situations differently, and it means that lesser players have to take up the slack. That’s not to hate on Berkman, Holliday, Beltran, or NLCS & World Series MVP David Freese – but there’s excellent ballplayers, and then there are transcendent ballplayers. Pujols was the latter.

What to watch: All eyes will be on Adam Wainwright, who returns this season after losing 2011 to Tommy John surgery. Wainwright placed top-3 in the last two Cy Young ballots, posting 11.9 WAR in that time span. He pitched over 230 innings in both years but is unlikely to reach 200 this season in his recovery. We’ll see how his new arm ligaments hold up.

2011 Prediction: 92-70, 1^st Place

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There is a specter that haunts left field in San Francisco. It is the same that lurks at shortstop in Camden Yards. And occupies right field in San Diego (also every hometown buffet in the greater San Diego area) 

Replacing a legend is no easy task. Some would argue it is impossible. I attended Barry Bonds’ somber last game. Watching Fred Lewis trot out to replace Bonds in the eighth inning of a lop-sided Padres win was like preparing for a long winter. And indeed it has been. 

Granted, the Giants won a title with the big-salty-stop-gap-Pat Burrell (that sentence is awful in so many ways). There continues to be an emptiness to left field, as the memories of Bonds persist like an old high school flame

So until we are smelling someone’s new perfume in left field here is what can be done.  

What NOT To Do

Not pursue Carlos Beltran.

If Herm Edwards were a baseball analyst he would say something really smart here, like, “To win the GAME you have to score more RUNS!” Yes, the Giants do need to score more runs in 2012, obviously. The popular argument has been that with a healthy lineup (Posey and Sanchez mainly) the Giants will score more.

It would be incredibly short sighted of the Giants to think that the addition of just these two players is going to create a world beater offense. The Giants cannot rest a season’s worth of offensive hope on a catcher returning from serious injury and a second baseman whose bones are made of mechanical pencil lead. 

The Giants cannot expect to just get by on their marvelous pitching staff. In the years prior there has always been a call for a big bat. This year it’s a Tel-A-Thon.

What TO Do

Sign Carlos Beltran.

Note: I was a huge fan of trying to sign Grady Sizemore, who I think will put of good numbers this year and be infinitely cheaper. I would have advocated signing him over Beltran. Time will tell

Approach Beltran with a deal in the 3-year, $40 million range. The Giants should be willing to go as high as $15 million a year if necessary. With the payroll now upped to $130 million, there is room to sign Beltran plus extend Matt Cain to a back-loaded deal.

The Giants are attempting to do what the 90’s era Braves did. Build up and ride a strong pitching rotation. They even have Buster Posey playing the role of Chipper Jones.

What WILL happen

Beltran in right field on opening day.

The serious contenders for Beltran at this point appear to be The Giants, Red Sox and Phillies. But two recent moves may have pushed both the Phillies and Red Sox toward the back of the pack.

The Phillies signed Jonathan Papelbon to a 4-year, $50 million deal. The deal will actually be 3-year, $37 million as Papelbon is not likely to meet the vesting clause (55 games finished in ’15). However, when you stack Papelbon, Ryan Howard and a likely deal for Jimmy Rollins together, the likelihood of adding another big time contract seems slim.

The Red Sox on the other hand have the money, they always have the money. Their problem is perception. After the historic collapse last season, the mood in Boston is sour. If there is one thing veteran payers love it’s instability and caustic personalities spicing the joint up. So good luck with Bobby Valentine.

That leaves the Giant with a prime opportunity to acquire a not quite long in the tooth, still productive middle of the order hitter.

At 34-years-old Beltran is not intended to be a Bonds replacement. Rather a gesture by management that unlike the 90’s era Atlanta Braves, one championship is not enough.

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Before Friday night’s contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Carlos Beltran had four RBI in 21 games played as a Giant. On Friday night, Beltran had three more after a 4-for-4 performance in which he was a double shy of hitting for the cycle.

Though Beltran has hit well as a Giant overall, with a .296 batting average, prior to Friday’s game against Arizona he had not produced with runners in scoring position, a scenario all to infrequent for the lowest-scoring team in all of baseball.

Giants fans, and perhaps even Giants management, began wondering whether Carlos Beltran was a bad investment, and whether giving up San Francisco’s top pitching prospect, Zack Wheeler, was actually a poor decision given the wrist problems and lack of run production from Beltran.

Suddenly, Beltran is the toast of San Francisco, single-handedly crushing the Diamondbacks in the opening game of the most important series of the season for his new club, and sending Arizona to its first loss in nearly two weeks.

Beltran has appeared, on the surface, as a very reserved an unemotional ballplayer since joining the defending world champs, and when he’s failed to come through in the clutch for a hopelessly unproductive offense, his lack of outward passion stood out and was very likely deemed as un-Giant.

After all, the Giants are a club that thrives on emotional fire, enjoying the “torture” of living on the edge in close games that require late-inning heroics, and taking a pennant race right down to the wire.

Carlos Beltran is a professional who’s been around the block a time or two, and his reservedness and calm is part of his own brand of baseball swagger.

The Giants witnessed first-hand Friday night what this quiet, visibly unemotional cleanup hitter was capable of.

As his towering drive into left center field descended from the fog that was rolling into AT&T Park, Carlos Beltran had officially arrived in San Francisco, leading his new club to a victory over the first-place Diamondbacks, and doing it with bravado.

It remains to be seen whether Beltran’s awakening will lead to a sustained hot streak through September, and it remains to be seen how many games will be relevant for the Giants pending the outcome of the remainder of their series with the Diamondbacks.

But Carlos Beltran put on a show for the hometown San Francisco fans on Friday, and he went from zero to hero, if for just a night.

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Yeeech.

Losing three of four in Atlanta was disappointing. 

But getting steamrolled by the hapless 40-85 Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game weekend series? That’s senseless. And pitiful.

Here’s senseless: Pablo Sandoval hurts his left shoulder twisting a stubborn soda bottle cap and is out of Friday’s lineup (just joshing; he hurt it swinging the bat Thursday in Atlanta).

Here’s pitiful: the Giants infield Friday consisted of Huff at 1B, Fontenot at 2B, Tejada at SS, DeRosa at 3B. I affectionately call that group the O-Gang, as in: nO offense, Old, and Oh-my-gosh-these-guys-look-awful.

Sorry for the sarcasm. How else are we going to get through this?

Atlanta did defeat Arizona Friday, so the Giants NL West deficit remains two-and-a-half games. It only feels like it’s seven.

So what comes next? Locusts in the clubhouse? Bed bugs in the players’ hotel rooms? No cold beer at the hotel bar for Aubrey Huff? Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, here are five things to watch for as the Giants continue this dreadful road trip. 

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Three weeks ago, the San Francisco Giants sat multiple games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the NL West.

About two of every three games was a one-run contest, and they won a like ratio of those games. Taking about half of those remaining games was good enough to make a second-seed seem almost certain.

Moreover, the Giants traded away little—one good and one questionable Double-A pitching prospect—to fill a major lineup hole. With strong-hitting second baseman Freddy Sanchez possibly done for the year, Jeff Keppinger appeared to be a solid replacement.

But the offense continued to struggle and the team was about to embark on a three-week period with six consecutive series against playoff contenders. Seven of the 18 games were against their National League rival Philadelphia Phillies, and 12 of the 18 were on the road.

So they did not stand pat. They did the right thing in adding the single biggest trade target in the league, Carlos Beltran (or as John Miller calls him, Bell-TRON). Added just in time for the rubber match of the second of those six series and the first against the Phillies, the Giants were looking good.

They had beaten the other two likely division winners on the senior circuit without him. Now they had a strong lineup in the second through sixth spots, even if Aubrey Huff is only on that list based on the belief he can recapture a little of the success of last season.

With their pitching, that seemed more than enough. Yet San Francisco added Orlando Cabrera to fill another hole at shortstop.

For most contenders, the 37-year-old shortstop would be a backup. In Cleveland, he played second base and was hitting just .244 with four home runs, 38 RBI and 35 runs. His OPS was under .600.

But for the Giants, he was an upgrade of more than a hit a week over the combination of Brandon Crawford and Mike Fontenot. His defense is still solid enough to prevent the Giants from giving up more runs in order to produce some of their own.

Since joining the 2010 World Champions, he is hitting just .222 and has a sub-.500 OPS thanks to no walks and just one double. He has a run and three RBI in seven games, making the early returns on his acquisition less than the Giants expected.

But it pales in comparison to the disappointments of the better two hitters. Beltran has just a .244 average with a .366 slugging percentage, three runs, two RBI and just one walk. After a slow start, Keppinger has hit a respectable .262 but has just a .593 OPS, one RBI and five runs.

That is why only three teams in the league have a worse batting average and only one has scored fewer runs than San Francisco. After the first game since trading for Beltran, the Giants have lost eight of nine and will likely be out of first place by the end of Saturday.

And with the team being outscored in those eight losses 45-11, the pitching is failing along with the improved lineup. There have only been three games in the nine that Giants hurlers have allowed fewer than four runs, and the opposition is averaging over five per game in the last nine.

The Giants won last year with timely hitting and great pitching. They have the same pitching and at least on paper have a better lineup, even without Sanchez and Buster Posey. And the team did not find a high gear until late August in 2010.

But unless San Francisco can take at least one game at home against the Phillies and win the last two series of this run, this season’s end may look more like the San Diego Padres of 2010 than their own.

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