Kuzul

The San Francisco Giants have been the talk of baseball over the month of July for many different reasons.

First and foremost is that prior to Monday night’s 4-3 loss against the Florida Marlins, the Giants had racked up 15 wins in their previous 18 games.

Secondly, the Giants aren’t just doing it with their pitching. San Francisco leads the majors in runs scored for the entire month and rookie sensation Buster Posey is riding a 19-game hitting streak, which has catapulted him to becoming the lead candidate for NL Rookie of the Year.

Yes, even ahead of Stephen Strasburg.

Furthermore, first baseman/outfielder Aubrey Huff is by far the best offseason offensive acquisition by any team in baseball.

When you consider that he is currently hitting:

.306/.390/.543/.946, 19 HR, 60 RBI, 49 BB, 47K

and is only being paid $3 million dollars in 2010, he is easily the best offensive addition any team has made. No other first year player for any of the other 29 teams has provided as much bang for his buck as Huff has for the Giants.

Combine the new offensive might from the Giants with the best starting rotation in baseball (sorry Cardinals fans, think what you want, but your rotation is second fiddle because it is top heavy).

And with the Cardinals’ Brad Penny hurt, it is obvious the Giants have the dirtiest rotation in baseball with all five starters capable of being No. 2s, and three of whom are legitimate No. 1’s.

But while the Giants have a dominant rotation, and a much improved offense from last season, the little things can still cost this team in a playoff race that will come down to the very last week of the season, if not the final series of the season.

That said, the way San Francisco lost to the Marlins on Monday night was only eerily reminiscent of recent losing seasons by the bay.

Washed up, overpaid veterans failing to produce is only all too familiar for Giants fans and the fact that their starting shortstop on Monday night couldn’t even make solid contact once in five at-bats is downright pathetic.

It’s partially the fault of the manager Bruce Bochy, who inserted Renteria in the lineup and in the two hole despite his being 0-15 against the Marlins’ starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco heading into the game. The Giants suffered from gut-wrenchingly ugly at-bats all game long from their soon to be 35-year-old shortstop.

Not only did Renteria finish the game 0-5 with three Ks and three runners LOB, but in both the seventh and ninth innings, Renteria had the tying run in scoring position with two outs and struck out both times.

But the manner in which both strikeouts occurred was absolutely appalling. In the seventh, Renteria couldn’t make any contact on two straight high-80’s fastballs as he swung through both without even tipping either one.

And in the ninth, he swung and missed on ball four in the dirt for the final out of the game.

What does an awful game at the plate like this tell us? It tells us that the player doesn’t have anything left.

Despite what he might have told San Jose Mercury News beat writer Andrew Baggarly a couple of weeks ago, Renteria has nothing left.

Not only can he not come through when his team needs him at the plate, but he is a liability defensively as well. He is in the bottom-fourth, if not bottom-fifth, of all big league shortstops when it comes to range, and he has a noodle for an arm.

He doesn’t steal bases (just three on the year, two fewer than Aubrey Huff), he can’t beat out infield hits, and he can’t hit a home run to save his life (just one homer on the season back during San Francisco’s home opener).

His extremely pronounced closed stance prevents him from pulling any pitch down the left field line. Seventy-five percent of his swings look to be at half speed, and despite an above-average on base percentage of .356, his inability to hit for any type of consistency or drive in any runs ruins the few good numbers Renteria has established this season.

All you really need to know is this: Despite having a superior OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) to that of teammate and fellow middle infielder Freddy Sanchez (.721 to .660), 99 percent of Giants fans would tell you they would rather have Sanchez at the plate in a crucial RBI situation than Renteria.

Why is that the case? There aren’t any numbers that support that case, so how can that be?

The reason behind Giants fans wanting Sanchez at the plate over Renteria is because of Sanchez’ extended hot streak earlier this season and the sustainable fact that he is fun to watch play the game.

Sure, Sanchez’ current slump has seen his numbers drop lower than those of Renteria, but Sanchez can hit the ball to all fields; he doesn’t get overpowered by any pitcher’s fastball, and he smiles.

The guy shows a personality on the field and in interviews with which it is easy to fall in love. You can see him making adjustments, having fun, and making difficult plays in the field seem routine.

With Renteria, it’s just the complete opposite. He has a blank stare on his face, never seems to be enjoying the game, and doesn’t give off a fun personality to the fanbase.

Therefore, when Renteria falls into a slump, it’s easy for fans to bag on him because he always looks mopey and depressed out on the field.

Now are smiling and having a bounce in your step prerequisites to being a productive major leaguer?

No, of course not. But the fact that Renteria is now one of the league’s worst defensive shortstops and is nothing but a mediocre .250 singles hitter with average speed, means the Giants could do better without him.

San Francisco would do a world of wonder for themselves if they were to eat the rest of his $9 million dollar salary and give his platoon shortstop role over to the younger and faster Emmanuel Burriss.

Even though Burriss has just a .262 career average and .629 career OPS, the 25-year-old would immediately become one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, as he sports a cannon of an arm with tremendous range, and would give the Giants an added dimension to their roster: speed off the bench.

The only other true base stealing threat on the 25 man roster is starting outfielder and leadoff hitter Andres Torres. With Burriss added to the mix, the Giants would have a better ability to give Torres days off (since Burriss is by far the next best option to hit leadoff) and the rest of the time, Burriss would provide the role of a perfect late innings pinch runner.

Any lack of offense Burriss would bring, compared to Renteria, would be made up with Burriss’ defense and base stealing speed, and by going this route, the Giants can have so many different looks.

Not only can Burriss hit leadoff when Torres needs a day off, but instead of Sanchez, Rowand, Uribe, or Renteria batting eighth, the Giants could hit Burriss in that spot. If a starting infielder needs a day off, Burriss could hit in front of the pitcher and possibly move up two bases in one at-bat. A straight steal of second and then the pitcher sacrificing him over to third is just one of the possibilities with Burriss’ speed.

This move simply makes too much sense not to happen, because while maybe Burriss wouldn’t have done any better at the plate than Renteria did on Monday night, Burriss would have certainly thrown out Dan Uggla on a routine grounder to save a run.

Instead, Renteria’s noodle arm let Uggla beat out an infield hit and the Marlins’ second baseman came around to score later that inning.

Baseball games are won on both offense and defense, and Burriss clearly brings more tools in helping the Giants win than Renteria at this point in their careers.

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Fireworks were bursting in the air as we celebrated Independence Day, but they weren’t coming from these players.  Here’s a list of those who slumped the most last week:

1) Kevin Kouzmanoff, Oak. 3B

The “Crushin’ Russian” hasn’t been doing much crushin’ lately as the Oakland third baseman had no hits in 21 at-bats last week.

His fantasy stock has dropped over ten percent in most leagues.  He is hitting .266 with eight home runs with 40 RBI, and 34 runs this season.
 
2) Justin Smoak, Tex. 1B
 
Unlike his teammates, Smoak has not been productive, going hitless in 20 at-bats last week. His fantasy hype has gone from fire to smoke.  Smoak’s fantasy ownership dropped around five percent in most leagues.
 
 
3) Juan Uribe, SF. IF
 
California was hot, but Uribe and his teammate Renteria were locked in the freezer.  Uribe managed only one hit in 22 at bats.
 
 
 
4) Adrian Gonzalez, SD 1B

San Diego’s powerhouse went 1-for-19 last week.

There isn’t anything to get worried about, though, as he is hitting .293 with 16 home runs, 52 RBI, and 44 runs this season.
 
5) Edgar Renteria, SF SS

Renteria had only one hit in 18 at-bats last week.
 
Renteria started the season hot, but since recently returning from the disabled list he is still trying to find his swing.
 
He has lost some fantasy ownership since the slump. On the bright side, he didn’t have much fantasy presence since he only has around ten percent ownership in most leagues.
 
 
6) Ty Wigginton, Bal. IF
 
Wiggington went 1-for-24 last week.
 
About two months ago Wigginton was a hot pick up, but has since seen his fantasy ownership decline.
 

7) Troy Glaus, Atl. 1B
 
Glaus was scorching hot for weeks, but it took fantasy owners some time to warm up to the injury prone slugger.
 
He didn’t make many fantasy owners happy last week, going 1-15, and saw his ownership drop about five percent in most leagues.
 
 
8) Rajai Davis, Oak. OF
 
The speedster from Oakland had one hit in 13 at-bats last week.
 
Further, his stolen base numbers weren’t enough for fantasy owners to keep him around as his fantasy ownership took a 15 percent plunge in most leagues.
 
 
9) Justin Upton, Ari. OF
 
Upton went 2-for-20 last week, hitting more like his weak-hitting brother B.J.  His fantasy ownership was not affected, however.  

10) Vernon Wells, Tor. OF  

Wells , much like Renteria, started the year grabbing headlines, but had only three hits in 23 at bats last week.
 
His fantasy ownership was not affected by his latest slump.
 
 
Un-honorable Mention
 
Robinson Cano, NYY OF  3/23 .130 AVG.

Derrek Lee,  ChC 1B   3/23 .130 AVG.

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Bruce Bochy hasn’t done anything differently from the San Francisco Giants’ fast start in April to the roller-coaster ride that got them spiraling downward in a seven-game losing streak.

Bochy didn’t make Tim Lincecum, oddly, less dominating. The manager didn’t have anything to do with Pablo Sandoval’s struggle at the plate. The bullpen many like to insist he mismanages really just isn’t very good.

There’s no reason to fire Bochy, unless you believe in momentum and chemistry and “shaking things up in the clubhouse.”

If you think momentum is further away than Sandoval’s next 3-for-4 game, with a home run and five RBIs—you want Bochy gone.

If you don’t realize that team chemistry goes from bad to fantastic when Lincecum, Barry Zito and Matt Cain each turn in consecutive outstanding starts, Bochy should pack his gear.

Should you be under the impression that guys like Guillermo Mota, Santiago Casillia, Andre Torres, Nate Schierholtz, and Aaron Rowand would be more consistenly good if the Giants hired a new manager, then you’re ready to call for the hiring of…

Oh, yeah…if you think Bochy needs to be replaced, you surely have a series of possible candidates who’ll come in and turn Jeremy Affeldt and Jonathan Sanchez into consistently dominating left-hand pitchers.

So, who ya’ got?

Ron Wotus? Don’t think the guy who has been standing behind and agreeing with Giants managers for so long is exactly going to be that spark plug fans think a new manager should become.

Steve Decker? Oh, c’mon! You read somewhere that he’s one of the top minor league managing prospects and that he’s doing a great job with Giants prospects at Fresno. But, his Triple-A Grizzlies require a completely different type of attention than does this particular veteran group of Giants. Decker might be the Giants manager of the future, but he hasn’t done anything to show he can do more with Edgar Renteria than Bochy can.

Fredi Gonzalez? He was the NL Manager of the Year two years ago, then got fired by the Florida Marlins two weeks ago. (Tell you anything about how much we really understand about what a manager does?) Forget it. He’ll take over the Atlanta Braves job when mentor Bobby Cox retires at the end of this year.

Bobby Valentine? Great personality. Probably great with certain types of players. Fans would love his enthusiastic, go-get-’em approach. He has managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets for 15 seasons combined and has a .510 winning percentage. The fact that he went to manage in Japan and loved it would, at least, bode well for KNBR’s pre-game manager’s show. Bobby V would have stories to tell. (The “Bruce Bochy Show” isn’t the current manager’s strong suit, nor should it be.)

The Giants don’t have a big league managerial candidate on the staff. Wotus? Why? After that? Third base coach Tim Flannery’s only back in the big leagues because he and Bochy are close friends. If Bochy leaves, Flannery would follow.

See the problem?

Fans know what they think Bochy has done wrong, but there’s no evidence that he’s had anything to do with the things that have really put the Giants on the brink of falling out of the playoff race. The hitters aren’t hitting. The pitchers aren’t dominating.

We don’t have any idea who would do a better job with this Giants team either. Decker? Maybe. Wotus? He’s a coach. Gonzalez? His dream gig’s coming. Valentine? His career win percentage is .510—hardly solid gold.

There are other candidates out there, but none could turn the Giants around until the Giants turn themselves around.

—

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

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Even after absorbing Tuesday’s loss to the visiting Baltimore Orioles, the San Francisco Giants are humming along now that May is but a memory.

Since the calendar flipped to June, the Gents (quick note—I don’t care that the New York nickname was Gints and neither does anyone else in the Bay Area) are 9-5. If you include the last five games of a mediocre preceding month, San Francisco is 13-6.

So things are good for the baseball-conscious in the City.

Nevertheless, there are three glaring and potentially enduring problems with the club.

Forget about the recent rockiness from the bullpen and the struggles out of the No. 5 slot in the rotation. Neither is serious.

The ‘pen has too many talented arms for this stretch to be anything more than the periodic lull that even the best units suffer. Dirt merchants like Sergio Romo, lefty Dan Runzler, lefty Jeremy Affeldt and newcomer Santiago Casilla all have top-shelf arsenals plus each fireman has shown signs of snapping back to form in their latest outings.

More importantly, closer Brian Wilson hasn’t been perfect, but he’s been consistently dandy. There’s little sense in hitting the panic button when the most critical arm isn’t inducing ulcers.

As for the final spot in the rotation, it admittedly hasn’t been pretty.

But that can be said of virtually every team in Major League Baseball and Todd Wellemeyer has actually been splendid at home—2.97 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, .209 BAA, .606 OPSA and 1.71 K:BB in 36 1/3 IP.

Granted, Wellemeyer’s been the batting practice pitcher every group wants to face on the road, but he’s currently hurt i.e. he’s moot for a while.

Joe Martinez is now manning the position and, though the results weren’t what fans wanted to see in his first start on Tuesday, there is ample reason to be optimistic.

Martinez was erratic as a starter in 2009 but remember he was coming back from that fractured skull courtesy of a Mike Cameron line drive. Those episodes tend to rattle a hurler so it’s not unreasonable to overlook the initial returns.

In 2010, the 27-year-old was tossing it nicely at Triple-A in the Pacific Coast League. His line of a 3.06 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 2.36 K:BB in 67 1/3 IP in 11 GS is quite fine considering the PCL is apparently like playing in an entire league full of pre-humidor Coors Fields.

Furthermore, Martinez twirled it better than his final line (6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K and 1 HR) looked. His sinker was working; the grounders just found too many holes. That could be attributed to a range-challenged defense, but it seemed more like bad luck.

Regardless, the Orange and Black pitching is rarely cause for concern.

Nah, the three biggest bugaboos facing the squad now and potentially for the foreseeable future are catcher Bengie Molina, shortstop Edgar Renteria and center fielder Aaron Rowand.

Let’s work from the easiest solved up.

Molina is simple—the pitching staff loves him enough to justify his presence even when not hitting and his lumber is showing signs of life after an atrocious May. Giant fans also need to remember that backstops are rarely a source of offensive production and that’s OK because they contribute in so many other ways.

Bengie doesn’t do everything well in the Tools of Ignorance, but he does enough to win the praise of some very good pitchers. If Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are happy, so am I.

And he’s only on a one-year contract so if Big Money goes Big Arctic again, Buster Posey’s here to stay.

Renteria’s imminent return isn’t too tough a situation to deal with, either. It actually could prove to be a positive moving forward if handled correctly by all involved.

Once the veteran finishes his rehab assignment (from a hamstring strain), he’ll expect and receive playing time. Fine, except it can’t come at the expense of arguably the Giants’ best hitter to date and the man who’s been patrolling the hole in Edgar’s absence.

Juan Uribe leads the team with 41 runs batted in and is tied with Aubrey Huff for the lead in home runs with 10.

His 41 ribbies are also a high for all MLB shortstops. His tater total is good for second in that regard, his .843 OPS ranks third and his .289 average is tied for fourth. If you’re hip to those sexy sabermetrics, his wins above replacement (WAR) is 1.8, which trails only Troy Tulowitzki’s 2.1, Derek Jeter’s 2.0 and Hanley Ramirez’s 1.9.

In other words, Uribe must play as much as possible.

The keys, however, are health and versatility.

Los Gigantes have two crucial bats that demand playing time, but would benefit from rest due to injury issues.

Uribe, who is dealing with a balky hammy of his own, is one and the other is Freddy Sanchez, who has been raking since finally recovering from off-season surgeries to knee and shoulder. Both have been invaluable so they haven’t seen much down time, but a blow here and there would probably be beneficial come August and September.

So Renteria, whose bat was blazing prior to the hamstring snag, shouldn’t disrupt the mix too much or dilute the suddenly respectable offense.

He can be used at short to directly spell Uribe. Additionally, he can be used to rest Sanchez, third baseman Pablo Sandoval, or first baseman Posey thanks to jack-of-all-infield-trades Uribe (and a touch of the Kung Fu Panda).

As San Francisco fans have seen, Uribe can play second base or the hot corner with excellent ease. Since Pablo can also play a quality first sack, manager Bruce Bochy essentially has a game of musical chairs on his hands.

If you want to get really creative, the 34-year-old Renteria could even be used to give fellow sore spot Molina a break. Uribe would move to third, Sandoval to first, and Posey behind the dish.

Finally, Renteria’s contract is also up at the end of ’10.

If he hits, SF gets the best of both worlds—it eases off some valuable assets without losing production. If he doesn’t hit, there’s less artificial incentive to play him.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Rowand. The center fielder is a large and sincerely troublesome thorn in the franchise’s side.

A-Row’s been swinging a flaccid noodle since mid-May (sub-.200 BA, sub-.300 OBP). It’s gotten so bad that he’s begun to lose reps because (A) he’s shown no hints of pulling out of the massive slump; and (B) the Giants have Andres Torres, Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell smoking the ball while flashing adequate-to-insane leather.

Further complicating matters are the atrophying five tools of Nate Schierholtz on the bench.

Usually, the answer is easy—bench Rowand until someone cools off or he gets hot. The rub is that the Giants must deal with an unusual kick to the groin—Aaron’s bloated contract for five years and $60 million, running through 2012.

That money is a sunk cost , but try convincing baseball executives and managers. The average member of that group will tell you it’s not sunk because Rowand could still be productive again and they’ll waste at-bats or innings in tribute to the idea.

To a degree, the logic is sound.

Aaron Rowand is notoriously streaky and that means a hot one might be just a matter of time—the gamble could pay out. But the San Fran lineup isn’t all that prolific even when cruising along; it can’t afford 0-fers when there’s a more attractive option available.

Right now, the fellas have four such players.

Uh oh.

Aaron Rowand doesn’t seem the type to become a distraction nor does he seem like the sort who would be thrilled about cooling his cleats. Yet it’s almost impossible to justify his presence on the field as anything but a defensive replacement at the moment.

Something’s gotta/will give.

Which means the San Francisco Giants could find themselves in a particularly awkward spot. For two more years.

**www.pva.org**

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There are two Giants players that add spark to an almost dead line-up. Andres Torres gives the crowd excitement and the team some speed and patience at the plate. Juan Uribe leads the team in home runs and exhibits a stronger arm at shortstop than counterpart Edgar Renteria. Both Torres and Uribe have played better than their overpaid veteran every day starters, and should be inserted in Bochy’s line-up card every game.  

Juan Uribe is the obvious start over Renteria because Renteria has been hurt a lot of the year. Despite Renteria hitting .326 AVG and a .372 OBP compared to Uribe’s .272/3.43, Uribe should get the start because the Giants need more guys knocking runners home and not just hitting to get on base. Also, Uribe displays the most power on the team, and that’s a rarity.  

Uribe’s six home runs and 27 RBI’s lead the team and he’s pretty close in runs scored. Why bench the leading run producer when Renteria gets healthy? Is it just for the money?  

The other position that should be changed is at center field. Aaron Rowand may be an okay CF, but journeyman Andres Torres presents the better option. In the field, Torres covers much more than Rowand and will let Schierholtz play more towards the RF line than the gap.  

At the plate, Torres is a much better fit at the top of the line-up. Torres has an AVG/OBP/SLG of .296/.386/.496 compared to Rowand’s .236/.272/.417. Just from that, Torres should get the nod.  

In 30 fewer AB’s, Torres has the same amount of hits, more doubles, less strikeouts, and more walks. How many times has Rowand gone up there, take hacks at three pitches, and sit right back down on the bench? At lead-off, he should at least take the first strike and make the pitcher throw over the plate. And I say that because Rowand isn’t the Albert Pujols of the Giants.  

In the rest of the NL West, every other CF is fast and gets on base, except for Tony Gwynn Jr. of the Padres. What Bochy and the organization should come to realize is do what wins, not just for money.  Keep Uribe at SS and Torres at CF, and move Rowand over to left field. Torres should bat lead off and Uribe at five and Rowand in the eight spot.  

The Giants should change the line-up to try and win games and stay consistent instead of constantly moving two of the most explosive players. Consistency is key, and at the rate they’re going, the only thing consistent the Giants will have is .500.  

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Written: 4 pm, 21 May 2010

With the recent trade request of Roy Oswalt, the maximum security prison that is the Houston Astros may soon have a break. Since Oswalt has been one of the most consistent aces over the last ten years, there should be plenty of teams willing to drive the getaway car. But due to his no trade clause and wish to play for a contender, jalopies need not apply.

The SF Giants aren’t exactly a Ferrari, but hovering near first for most of the year they are at least a 2006 BMW 330i.

The Giants most glaring deficiency is fifth starter Todd Wellemeyer, whose road numbers of 0-3, 9.35 ERA, and 17 walks in 17 innings are deplorable. Most of the talk in the Bay Area has focused on calling up either Eric Hacker or Madison Bumgarner from AAA Fresno.

But neither one has proven they can get it done at the highest level. Assuming or projecting they would is simply wishful thinking masquerading as reason.

Meanwhile, Oswalt’s putting up some of the best numbers of his heralded career, 2.66 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 8.85 SO/9. Plus, he offers serious playoff experience having won the 2005 NLCS MVP.

Replacing Wellemeyer with Oswalt would be like finding a cooler of Fiji water in the desert.

If the Giants want to be a playoff team they need to act like it and keep working to improve the team.

Moreover, the Oswalt request could be the opportunity the Giants need to cut ties with some of their iffy signings the last few years, specifically Edgar Renteria, Freddie Sanchez, and Mark DeRosa. None of them has really got it going in San Francisco, so maybe a change of scenery would be best.

Furthermore, with Matt Downs looking like an everyday player lately, putting him on the bench to make room for Sanchez’s paycheck, I mean Sanchez had to be painful . He comes up with the key hit versus the Giants’ Kryptonite, San Diego, then scores the winning run on a clutch hit by Eugenio Velez. His reward, hit the bench, kid.

One solution solves many problems: trade De Rosa, Sanchez, Renteria, and their high salaries to Houston for Oswalt and his high salary.

The salaries are comparable with Oswalt owed 33M over the next two years and 34.5M going to Sanchez, Renteria, and DeRosa.

The trade is actually a win win since Houston just released 2B Kaz Matsui and starting SS Tommy Manzella is hitting .190. Insert Sanchez and Renteria and juggle them with 2B/SS Jeff Keppinger and the Astros’ infield just got a lot better. Once DeRosa comes back from the DL he would provide some pop as a utility player.

Furthermore, the Giants get better by subtraction. Juan Uribe has just about been their best hitter going back to the second half of last year, yet he’s behind Renteria and Sanchez on the depth chart.

Since Houston needs to rebuild and Oswalt is the prize jewel in the trade, the Giants would have to offer some respectable prospects.

Fortunately, their farm system has a plethora of them.

The AAA Fresno Grizzlies are so stacked with talent they boast a MILB best record of 28-12 and could probably beat the Astros in a best of seven series. Hacker, Bumgarner, Velez, Waldis Joaquin, Brett Pill, Tyler Graham, and Brock Bond stand out. 

Barring Buster Posey, the Giants could trade anyone on the farm.

Brandon Belt, .381BA, 1.051OPS, 10SB, is destroying Class A Advanced for San Jose, and at 22 years of age is an intriguing prospect.

Despite Astros GM Ed Wade’s obstinate attitude, “Roy’s contract has a no-trade clause, not a trade-me clause,” the Astros are likely going to have to make a move.

They might prefer packaging Oswalt with Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman who make an inflated 19M and 14.5M this year, respectively. But with both players underperforming that seems unlikely.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark originally reported Oswalt was most interested in St. Louis, Atlanta, and Texas, but as the situation has escalated he’s presumably open to more teams now.

Realistically, the Giants are a dark horse, thanks to their sometimes fangless lineup. But should that keep them from trying?

After all, with one of the most potent rotations around, adding Oswalt would surely upgrade the team from being a 2006 BMW 330i to a

2010 BMW M6 Convertible , and make it possible to execute Oswalt’s prison break smoothly.

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When a team musters just a single run in a three game series, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the offense is struggling.

Essentially, changes to the San Francisco Giants’ lineup are a guarantee.

Even if their manager was napping in the clubhouse during the past three games, changes would be made after looking at the final box scores.

Once the manager wakes up after such a dreadful offensive series, he will see 20 straight zeros in the boxscore and will naturally be inclined to shake things up.

However, the issue with the Giants is their organization plays who they pay most rather than who produces most.

And because of this mindset, Bochy will play Edgar Renteria instead of Nate Schierholtz.

Wait, what?

How does a lineup decision come down to either a shortstop or right fielder getting in the lineup?

Well, it is actually pretty simple.

With the Opening Day left fielder Mark DeRosa out with injury, the Giants plan on moving their everyday first baseman Aubrey Huff to the outfield to take over the vacant spot. (backup Andres Torres then slides over to right field).

Subsequently, third baseman Pablo Sandoval shifts over to Huff’s old spot at first which allows Juan Uribe and Freddy Sanchez to man the third and second base spots. And that leaves shortstop open for the recently called up Edgar Renteria.

Only problem is that these moves put the 26-year-old Schierholtz on the bench.

Now if you ask Giants fans whether they would rather have Schierholtz in the lineup or Renteria, the overwhelming majority would prefer Schierholtz, and for good reason.

Despite losing his starting right field spot in Spring Training, Schierholtz has since earned back that role before recently taking a few games off to rest an aggravated shoulder injury.

Thus far during the season, Schierholtz has proved both offensively and defensively that he is a major asset.

At the plate, he has started off with a .298 average, .365 on-base percentage and a .423 slugging percentage. Not to mention, his four stolen bases are second on the team next to Torres.

Defensively, he already has three assists in 35 games in the outfield and in terms of shutting down opponents from taking extra bases, Schierholtz is one of the best in all of baseball.

Combine that total package against Renteria, and it is absolutley no question who brings more to the table.

You can disregard Renteria’s .313 average thus far because his on-base percentage of .363 isn’t even higher than that of Schierholtz, despite having the higher average.

Plus out of the shortstop’s 26 hits on the season, only four have gone for extra bases which drops his slugging percentage to an abysmal .386.

Furthermore, the soon to be 35-year-old does not have the range nor the arm to match that of Uribe’s.

So not only does Schierholtz have a superior OPS of .788 compared to Renteria’s .744, but the younger legs bring much more value defensively.

Having Torres and Schierholtz man the outfield corners will be much more beneficial to the pitching staff (and strength of the Giants team) than it would be to have Torres (in a new outfield spot, trying to learn right field at AT&T Park) and Huff at the corners.

Especially when you consider Huff has played just eight of his 1,324 career games in left field and just 208 total in the outfield, organizing the defense in this fashion is asking for trouble.

But the Giants are probably going to do this anyway. Why? Because Renteria is making nine million dollars compared to Schierholtz who is making “around the league minimum”. (after some google searching, that is the only reference I could find about his contract status).

Whether it is a combination of front office people or just GM Brian Sabean forcing Bochy’s hand, the players with large contracts play the field no matter their production level.

Now currently Schierhotlz isn’t fully healthy and it is difficult for us outsiders to know when he will be healthy enough to start.

But when he is healthy, there is no reason for Schierholtz to be on the bench other than money. Renteria clearly should be the one riding the pine based on the value assigned by the statistics and by the naked eye.

Just watch Renteria swing the bat, and you know father time is catching up to the former All-Star shortstop.

Yet you can bet on Renteria being in the starting lineup everyday when healthy.

Which is subsequently the biggets complaint of the fan base: “Why does our team continually fail to put their best team on the field?”

If the best lineup the Giants can trot out there is simply not good enough to make the playoffs, the fans will understand.

After all, in order to significantly upgrade the team during the season, a trade will have to be made. And in making a trade, it is difficult to make a move that clearly upgrades the team.

For example, Giants fans wish they could have Adrian Gonzalez at first base. But depending on the asking price of San Diego, adding Gonzalez may do more harm than good.

Trading for key players in any sport without giving up too many key players in return is quick a difficult task. Most fans understand this notion.

But what fans don’t understand is leaving young talent on the bench and starting the less talented old guys just because of their contracts.

That is why Giants fans complain.

And rightfully so.

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Do the Giants really need pitching to overtake the pesky Padres?  

Really?  

It appears so, because I saw Lincecum struggle through his second start in a row, and the bullpen blow another lead that would have given him six wins.  

Sure, Lincecum struggled, but the entire staff needs improvement.  

My main point of emphasis is the wild pitches.  

The Giants let another game get away with another WP thrown to give the Dbacks the lead. It’s happened too many times already this season, and not just a few are at fault.  

Guillermo Mota and Barry Zito have both thrown four.

Jeremy Affeldt and Todd Wellemeyer have both thrown three.

Waldis Joaquin is at fault for two.

Matt Cain, Dan Runzler, Tim Lincecum, and Jonathon Sanchez have all thrown one.

Twenty wild pitches in 40 games?  

That’s ridiculous for a staff that (on paper) looks to be the best in the NL.  

This means every other game, there’s a good chance Zito or Affeldt will throw one past Molina and give the go-ahead run away.  

Not all 20 have yielded runs, but it does present cause for concern. Starting with Zito, I love watching him throw the curve, and I understand that it can get wild.  But it’s up to him and the catcher to realize what the count is, what the situation is, and how confident he is with that pitch on a given day.  

Lincecum and Sanchez we’ve seen can be wild youngsters, Sanchez more often than the former.  

With Lincecum winning back-to-back Cy Youngs, I’m not going to tell him what he needs to do, but someone should talk to them and get them more focused and committed on each pitch.  

Jeremy Affeldt is having all sorts of problems this year. In just 17 innings, he’s given up 15 hits and five earned runs. On top of his three wild pitches, he’s also hit two batters.

The Giants’ woes are not solely on the offense (believe it or not).  

The bullpen has blown four wins for Lincecum—and the game three other times.  

There’s a lot of frustration when the team can only put up a couple runs every day, but the pitching staff must re-focus and concentrate on the remaining month and a half until the break.  

With Sanchez coming back, Renteria and DeRosa coming back soon, and Pablo Sandoval getting healthy, the pitchers should get a renewed confidence with some spark adding to the lineup.  

Because the hitters and fans are always thankful for the fantastic pitching. 

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