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Barry Zito seems to have discovered a dominance over the St. Louis Cardinals recently.

The last time Zito took the mound against St. Louis, the San Francisco Giants were in dire straights. Giants fans will remember that game.  It was game five of the 2012 National League Championship Series against the Cardinals where the Giants found themselves trailing St. Louis three games to one. 

On the road for game five, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Cardinals would beat up on the Giants’ lefty who had received so much criticism after signing a seven-year, $126 million contract in 2007.  The Cardinals were the hot team.  The Giants were not.

Yet Zito’s performance during game five was nothing short of incredible.  He pitched 7.2 innings of shutout baseball against the Cardinals and even contributed at the plate (mercurynews.com).  The Giants then soared after the must-win game, eventually going on to defeat St. Louis in seven games and moving on to win the 2012 World Series.

The lynch-pin of the Giants’ success in the playoffs was Zito.

Thus, it only seemed fitting that Zito would take the mound against the Cardinals yesterday during the Giants’ home opener.  The last time he saw the Cardinals, he dominated them and gave the Giants hope to keep their postseason dreams alive.  This time, he picked up right where he left off against a team he shut down a season ago, giving the Giants more hope that 2013 will be just as special.

Following the Giants’ opening day ceremonies, Zito took the mound amidst a roar of cheers from Giants fans who, not so long ago, chastised him.  It was another moment of redemption for the veteran.

The Cardinals looked just as baffled by Zito’s pitching as they did during the NLCS last year.  Zito shut out St. Louis, looking strong over seven innings.  He allowed only three hits while walking two and striking out four (cbssports.com).

Zito ran into some trouble during the top half of the seventh inning when St. Louis put two runners on base with two outs.  Yet Zito was able to retire Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma on a fly ball to center to end the inning.  He finished the game with 102 pitches on the day.  Zito then departed to another tremendous ovation, one of which he has been getting used to lately.

The Giants went on to beat the Cardinals 1-0, giving Zito his first win of the young season.(cbssports.com).

What this means for the Giants is hard to determine, but signs have to be good. 

Zito was ready for the start despite all of the festivities that preceded the Giants’ home opener.

He stated:

I would like to stay focused on what I have to do and my process and not get caught up too much in the festivities.  It’s going to be great for the fans, obviously.  That’s for them to enjoy.  But for us, we have to focus on our tasks. (via mlb.com)

That is a great attitude for a veteran pitcher to have, especially after enduring a tenure with a team that included so many lows.  Yet for the Giants, Zito has become somewhat of a good-luck charm as they have now won 15 games in a row in which he has started, including the 2012 postseason (mlb.com).  That streak will undoubtedly end at some point, but a solid start including the win is a major plus for Zito and the rest of the Giants rotation.

Zito’s resurgence has not gone unnoticed by his Giants teammates.

Right fielder Hunter Pence praised Zito by saying:

Pitching is about deception, and he’s got a lot of deception.  He’s really smart out there and doesn’t give you good pitches to hit.  Even his strikes are tough to hit.  You think you’re seeing a cutter out of his hand and it’s really the fastball down the middle.  And if you protect too much against the cutter, he’ll go back outside. (via mercurynews.com)

Hopefully, this start is an indication that Zito will emulate more of the 15-8 season he enjoyed last year and avoid the types of seasons he had in San Francisco years prior.  If he can, the Giants pitching staff will be all that much better. 

It is hard to tell after one start, but a start like this one is always a good thing.

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In the coming weeks, one of the most impactful and controversial classes for the Hall of Fame will have judgment passed on them—at least for their first year of eligibility. One of those on the list is all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, whose career, despite being acquitted of any wrongdoing in a court of law, will forever be tied to the steroid era.

Bonds is certainly a huge part of the San Francisco Giants history and although not being part of the teams’ two recent (and only) World Series titles, his name and his actions still set off widespread debate amongst Bay Area faithful.

Should he get in, should he not.

An election to the Hall would also benefit the Giants’ brand, who could use that justification for even more business gains in an area where baseball is really rivaled only by the success of the 49ers in popularity. Will the Giants take a stand in the “should he or shouldn’t he go to the Hall” debate?

Team CEO Larry Baer talked about the possibility of Bonds getting into the Hall of Fame, as well as the benefits of the decline of the steroid era on Bloomberg Television’s “Money Moves” this weekend.

“We don’t have a vote; it’s the baseball writers who will make that call,” Baer said on the show. “You have to look at the accomplishments he had over the length of his career and then establish the criteria from the era which he played in. When that is set then we can make a fair judgment.”

Baer did go on to say that he thought MLB has done great work bringing the steroid era to an end and that the policies work, even though they did cost the team their star outfielder Melky Cabrera for the better part of the last two months of their surprising run to the 2012 title.

Will we see Barry Bonds Way adjacent to McCovey Cove any time soon? Apparently, the team will take a wait and see attitude with their star crossed home run king, and will let the writers make the decision for them in the coming months.

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Monday, Fox Sports MLB writer Ken Rosenthal wrote a piece that described the Oakland Athletics as a “revolving door of misfits.” He also used a couple other not so inviting words to describe A’s general manager Billy Beane’s highly-performing team. 

From Rosenthal:

If the “Moneyball” A’s were, in the words of author Michael Lewis, baseball’s answer to the island of misfit toys, what the heck is this bunch? An archipelago of All-American rejects, plus one Cuban defector?

Misfit toys?

Rejects?

Cuban Defector?

Come on!

Way to take an inspiring team that has defied expectations and rip it to shreds.

This was my initial reaction of course. But with a few deep breaths and a second read of Rosenthal’s article revealed subtle expression of how Oakland is beautiful for the game of baseball.

Spot on, led by Beane and manager Bob Melvin, this resolute cast of rookies and journeymen has truly been a blast to watch this season.

The Athletics are the West Coast version of the Baltimore Orioles. They are young. They are energetic. And they are a challenge to match up against every day because opposing managers rarely know who will take the hill or what the starting lineup will entail.

Like the Orioles, the Athletics do tons of things that will not show up in the box score.

What this team lacks in headline-grabbing names, it makes up for with outstanding leadership, excellent followership (i.e. leave those egos at the door) and more importantly—a young, vibrant renegade-like psyche that oozes quiet confidence. 

Like the Orioles, the Athletics have mastered the art of resource management. Put the right players with the right skills in the right spots. Manage them effectively, mentor them with sincerity and watch them grow—both as men and as ballplayers.  

This is called professional development. It is rare to see in sports driven by individualism, constant pampering and social networking. But Oakland and Baltimore have instituted this as a way of business.

Like the Orioles, the Athletics have also shown great ingenuity in the face of a troubled economy. Contrary to the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, Oakland and Baltimore have traded loading up rosters to win now for creative, outside the box thinking.  

Last, like the Orioles, they make no excuses for injuries. When one man goes down, another picks up the flag, puts his chest out and marches toward victory.

All of this combined, it is no surprise the Athletics and Orioles are proving themselves as true contenders for the postseason.

As a baseball writer (and fan), it will be really exciting to see how loud these little engines will roar down the stretch.

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The San Francisco Giants have turned the page and started their “new season” in San Diego with a splash.  (The Giants took the first game 10-1 without Cabrera.)   But the Giants still have some things to prove to the baseball world; they need to show that they can still win games without anyone cheating.  

Of course, the Giants are leading all of baseball in scoring on the road. 

No Melk, no juice, just a lot of sweat and determination.  Here are the players who can still make the difference; guys who can still win a championship.  It’s time for the fans to leave Melky in the rear-view mirror and focus on the positive aspects of the franchise.

Here they are:

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Buster Posey has been a grinder for the San Francisco Giants this season, and a player who deserves the National League MVP Award.

Since he broke into the big leagues in 2010, where he batted .305/.357/.505 and ran away with the Rookie of the Year Award, Posey has been an instrumental part of the Giants lineup.

Not only does he call a great game, but he brings a youthful energy to the squad, an energy that’s hard to maintain.

Buster Posey is hands down the most important player on a Giants squad inches ahead in the N.L. West pennant race. 

Why? Because he’s their backbone.

Before the enthusiasm Bryce Harper and Mike Trout brought to the game, Posey showed the world he’s able to carry a World Series team on his back. 

His presence on the diamond is electric, so it’s not a shocker San Francisco missed the postseason last year after losing Posey 45 games into the season.

But alas, he’s back and better than ever, setting career highs in every major hitting category. And if he hasn’t already, he’s on pace to have the best season of his young career.

Thus far he’s batting a blistering .328/.394/.542 to go along with 17 homers, 23 doubles and 41 walks.

But above all, there are two statistics that stand out most about Posey: his 41 RAR and 4.2 WAR.

In simpler terms, the Giants are a better ball club with Posey in their lineup, from both an offensive and defensive standpoint.  

Although guys like Melky Cabrera and Andrew McCutchen will headline the MVP crew, don’t be surprised to hear Buster Posey’s name called, because he’s been climbing to the top of a lot of hitting categories.

And he hasn’t even played 100 games yet.  

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Tim Lincecum is sporting a 3-10 record and a 6.42 ERA going into his first start after the All-Star break.

Something has to change, and it has to change now. Of the 18 games that Lincecum has started, the Giants have only won four. Substitute in a mediocre pitcher who wins maybe half of those 18 games, and the Giants would be 52-35 and have a solid couple-game lead in the NL West.

These numbers are shocking and not something you would expect from a two-time Cy Young Award winner who is still only 28 years old.

They are horrendous, terrible, awful—I mean, you pick the adjective and it fits Lincecum’s wretched numbers and performance. There is no place for someone who is doing so badly on one of the best pitching rotations. Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong are some of the best pitchers in baseball. Each one is a top-five pitcher in a major pitching statistical category (wins, ERA, strikeouts and/or WHIP).

But Lincecum is in a perfect position to rebound off of his two previous starts in which he couldn’t finish four innings and gave up 14 runs combined. Timmy will be in front of a home crowd that will be praying that he can figure it out.

And the Houston Astros have the fewest wins in the National League and not a hitter batting over .300. Four of the five Astros starting pitchers with over 60 innings pitched have ERAs over 4.50.

If “The Freak” can’t get it turned around now, there is no reason to expect he will figure it out anytime soon. Sadly, it isn’t all that perplexing that the former Giants ace is doing so terribly; throwing 93-95 MPH consistently for a couple years with his wiry frame just cannot physically hold up.

The guy is not even six feet tall, and he weighs a mere 160 pounds.

If Lincecum doesn’t figure it out, the Giants need to trade him. He is due $22 million next year and may not be worth $1 million. It may not be the popular decision considering what Lincecum has done for the Giants, but it makes financial and baseball sense.

That is, of course, assuming he doesn’t rebound. If he rebounds, these trade talks will dissipate into the summer night.

Let’s see if Lincecum can pull it together starting tonight.

Read more of my baseball, basketball and Bay Area sports writing on the popular website, Bases and Baskets.

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Madison Bumgarner (11-5) opened up the second half of the season for the San Francisco Giants on Friday night with a solid performance, holding the Houston Astros to just one run over seven innings while striking out five in the Giants’ 5-1 win. 

In command from the beginning, Bumgarner had a one-hit shutout through six. With Chris Snyder up and two out in the seventh, Bumgarner made his only mistake of the night. 

On a 3-1 count, Bumgarner threw a fastball that caught too much of the plate. The Astros catcher turned on it and drove a towering home run over the left field wall. 

That was one of two hits Bumgarner would surrender and the only run as he lowered his ERA to 3.15. The 22-year-old earned his 11th win of the year and has now won 15 of his last 18 starts at AT&T Park with a stellar 1.81 ERA. 

Bumgarner wasn’t the only Giant who was in command early on in the game. Fresh off his start in the All-Star game on Tuesday, Buster Posey slammed a two-run home run in the bottom of the first. 

On a 2-0 count, Posey slammed an 89 mph fastball from Wandy Rodriguez (7-7) over the center field wall, a majestic shot that was measured at 448 feet. 

The Giants would add two more in the second inning on three straight singles by Angel Pagan, Brandon Belt and Joaquin Arias, giving Bumgarner the early four-run cushion which helped him settle in. 

After the game Bumgarner talked about pitching the first game after the break and how he would react after the layoff and change in routine.

“I felt pretty good, I was kind of nervous I didn’t know how I was going to feel after three days off…but it didn’t really feel like I missed anything.”

Bruce Bochy had nothing but praise for Bumgarner after the game, commenting on his performance and his dominance at home. 

“He’s thrown so well here, it’s a case where he’s feeding off the fans…that gets him going and keeps him pumped up.” Bochy continued, “This kid for 22 years old, it’s pretty incredible what he does, and the poise he has out there.”

The Giants added their fifth and final run in the eighth inning when Pablo Sandoval turned into a one-man highlight show. After legging out a one-out triple with a dramatic headfirst slide into third base, Sandoval tagged up on Pagan’s shallow line drive to left field.  

With Sandoval coming in like a freight train, Snyder never could get a handle on the ball as “the Panda” bowled over the Astros catcher, jarring the ball loose.   

Sandoval, a former catcher, downplayed his decision to run into Snyder after the game, saying “It was the only opportunity to be safe, I saw the throw coming and he didn’t handle the ball, so I just pushed him a little bit.”

Bochy, who’s also a former catcher, made light of Sandoval’s collision at the plate. 

“That’s a lot of mass coming into home plate, but he scored and that’s a big run. As you saw they were coming back…it’s always good to get that fourth run and give you a cushion and some margin of error.”

When asked about Sandoval legging out the triple, Bochy joked, “Yeah, I was getting on him, he hit a triple in the All-Star game and we hadn’t seen one.”

Another bright spot in the win was Santiago Casilla’s outing in the ninth. After a shaky two weeks leading up to the break, Casilla came in, located his pitches and looked in control.

The Giants continue their three-game series with the Astros tomorrow night as they send Tim Lincecum (3-10) to the hill to face Houston’s Lucas Harrell (7-6); game time is 6:05 p.m. PT, 9:05 p.m. ET.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand. 

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In a week that started with four straight dominate performances by San Francisco Giants starters, the tables have turned over the past two days. Nearly getting shut out by Mike Leake (3-5) in a complete game effort last night, Mat Latos (7-2) echoed his performance, allowing only one run as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Giants 2-1.

Latos, formerly of the division rival San Diego Padres, has had quite a bit of success pitching against the Giants in the past. Earlier this year, on April 24th in Cincinnati, Latos went seven scoreless innings against the Giants as the Reds won the game 9-2.

Saturday’s win was Latos’s seventh win of the season, allowing only two hits, a one-out double in the third to Brandon Crawford and a one-out triple in the ninth inning to Brandon Belt.

Belt would score on Gregor Blanco’s ground out to short, putting the Giants within one run of tying the game, but it never felt that close. The next hitter was Ryan Theriot, and with two outs, Theriot left the bat on his shoulder as he watched the called third strike sail across the plate.

With the win, Latos improved to 4-3 in 11 games lifetime against the Giants with a 2.19 ERA. At AT&T Park, his ERA is even lower at 1.67 over six games.

Barry Zito (6-6) ended up losing the game, but he pitched well. Allowing only one run over six innings, Zito pitched himself in and out of jams all day. In the fourth inning, Zito surrendered his only run, when, with two outs and a runner on first base, he walked three straight.

Zito hadn’t issued a free pass in the first three frames, and then suddenly couldn’t find the strike zone.

When asked after the game about why the sudden loss of control, Bochy remarked, “occasionally he does that, I thought he was pitching smart though, he wasn’t giving in. At times when he would get into a jam, other than the bases loaded walk, I think he probably got a little quick there with men on base when he was in the stretch.”

Bruce Bochy commenting further about the overall outing he received from his pitcher was very positive.

“It was a good effort, he got off a couple innings and was battling himself and his command, but to go six innings and give up just one run, that’s a great job.”

Coming off seven scoreless innings against the Dodgers on Monday, the first of four consecutive shutouts pitched by the Giants staff, Zito pitched well enough to win but didn’t get any run support. It was a case of the other guy was just better, and Bochy had much to say about Latos after the game.

“He had command of all his pitches, threw a lot of strikes, and used all of them (pitches). We knew what we were going into, but when a good pitcher’s on top of his game you do all you can to compete and try and get some runs, but we just had a tough time today.”

Zito echoed Bochy’s comments when asked about Latos, “he was definitely pounding the strike zone more than we’re used to seeing. He had his good rhythm out there the whole time, we couldn’t really get to him except in the ninth a little bit.”

Zito finished by saying, “you just got tip your cap to him, go out tomorrow and try and split a series.”

The Giants wrap up the series and their seven-game home stand tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. To salvage Game 4 and earn a split, the Giants send Ryan Vogelsong (7-3) to the mound against Bronson Arroyo (3-5) for the Reds.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

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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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San Francisco third baseman and 2011 All-Star selection Pablo Sandoval is being investigated by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department over possible sexual assault charges, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area.

Sources told Baggarly’s employer that the alleged incident took place early in the morning this past Friday at the Seascape Beach Resort. However, those same sources explained that Sandoval was not a registered guest at the resort during that time.

Sources who talked with CSN Bay Area claim that the woman in question reported to the authorities that she was too intoxicated to give consent.

The investigation is still on going, and it’s important to note that Sandoval has not been charged by the police according to sources cited by CSN Bay Area.

Sandoval’s attorney, Eric Geffon agreed to an interview with CSN Bay Area, explaining:

On Friday, June 1, Pablo Sandoval voluntarily met with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department related to a consensual, personal relationship of a sexual nature that took place on that day.

Geffon added that his client was fully cooperative with the authorities during the process.

Baggarly attempted to get the Giants‘ opinion regarding the alleged incident but was declined. Vice President Staci Slaughter simply told the reporter:

Given the off-the-field nature of the issue, we refer all comment to his attorney.

Slaughter did comment that Sandoval will play in his Single-A rehab assignment game with the San Jose Giants Saturday night.

The career-long Giant hasn’t played in a major league game since May 2 due to fracturing his hamate bone in his right wrist.

Sandoval had surgery to remove the bone and is starting the final step in his rehab process by working through the San Francisco farm system before making his return to the big leagues.

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