Affeldt, Rowand, and Wilson

I'd really prefer not to dwell on what happened last week against the Mets. We were riding high after Pablo Sandoval's game-winning bomb, and a four-game losing streak did a lot to suck the momentum out. Heading to San Diego, we are again 6.5 games behind the Dodgers and it feels a bit like starting back at square one.

Since the 2000 playoffs, there's something about playing against the Mets that I just don't like. This series did raise some intriguing questions, like, how do you stake Tim Lincecum to a 5-1 lead and not get a win? or how'd we scratch six runs against Johan Santana and not get a win?

Three players who were up for discussion during this series were Jeremy Affeldt, Aaron Rowand, and Brian Wilson.

How about Affeldt on Thursday night? Affeldt relieved Merkin Valdez who had just given up a game tying, bases-clearing double to David Wright, who then proceded to steal third. With the leading run on third and nobody out, Affeldt struck out the side to keep the score tied. Then he went out and through a scoreless eighth. It revived my confidence in the lefty.

Affeldt could have taken home a win that night had Rowand managed to drive Randy Winn in from third with one out. Instead he hit a weak grounder, and retreated to a chorus of boos. Afterwards, he spoke with Andrew Baggarly, who wondered why we never see Rowand slamming his bat or throwing his helmet.

“If I’m going to snap, usually it’s in the tunnel,” he said. “I don’t want the guy on the mound or the other team to realize that I’m frustrated. My whole career, I’ve done it that way.”

Rowand, whose serious work ethic is well-documented, also noted that he may need to make some changes in his approach - "“I’m starting over today,” he said before Saturday's game. “I’m simplifying everything.” Against Santana, Rowand had three RBIs on three hits, including a home run. Not bad. Still, Rowand in just in the second year of a five year, $60 million contract - something he would not have received had he entered the market a year later. To trade Rowand at this point, however, would be silly. The Giants would likely have to eat much of the contract, and given that Rowand is a). the opposite of a clubhouse cancer and b). not keeping better players out of the lineup, it would serve the team best to keep him around. Besides, if he can return to form, he makes for a good number six hitter - provided the lineup around him gets better.

Also catching the ire of the fans this past weekend, was closer Brian Wilson. On Friday and Saturday, Wilson entered the ninth in a tie game and then put the game, well, a little out of reach. The challenging Mets lineup seemed at ease at the plate and on the bases, while Wilson hurt his own case with a miserable throwing error. So, what do I say? Perhaps, "he's a bum" or "replace him with Affeldt"? No. These two games were tough and probably Wilson's worst outings of the year. But, those are the breaks for a closer. Now, if this becomes a habit, we can start talking about a change. Wilson's failures are magnified by the fact that he is always in there with the game on the line, and subsequently greater scrutiny comes with that, too. At $480,000 - significantly less than Affeldt and Bobby Howry, Wilson remains a terrific value on a team with plenty of bad contracts, and continues to bounce back from struggles. He pitched a 1-2-3 ninth on Sunday.