Should We Be Happy or Sad For Zito

We really need to change this banner. 1). We need to change it to something more positive, like "We'll get 'em next time!" and 2). Barry Zito should not be the face of Giants' losses. Zito is somehow 1-4 when it should be more like 4-1. Simply put, Zito has regained his Cy Young form and is pitching like an All Star.

The Giants lost yesterday 2-1, basically because they went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Chris Young is a pretty smart pitcher and I think he has figured out the ultimate kryptonite for the Giants lineup - put runners in scoring position and then get three easy outs.

But, rather than dwelling on the bad offense which is obviously apparent and clearly needs to be solved (more on that later), let's talk about Zito. Last night, Zito pitched not only the Giants first complete game of the season, but also his first since 2003. Allowing just Zito 10 earned runs over his last 40.2 innings, he is looking very much like the pitcher the Giants were signing two years ago. Against San Diego, Zito gave up a pair of early runs and often found himself in stressful situations, managing to pitch around them and keeping his team in the game. Unfortunately, Zito gets the worst run support of anyone in the majors - 1.25 runs per game!

Let's Hear It For the Boy and Observations from the Past Week

By this point, there should be no doubt - Tim Lincecum is for real. After those two lackluster starts at the beginning of the year, he has picked up where 2008 left off. Even when he does not have his best - like he didn't against the Cubs - he is still the best. I appreciate how Lou Pinella conceded defeat before the game even began, omitting Ryan Theriot, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Milton Bradley and Geovany Soto from his lineup card. Perhaps this will become a trend when Lincecum pitches? Perhaps we should pencil in Lincecum as the starter each game?

Bengie Molina gave his pitcher all he needed with a first inning, three run homer, but the Giants decided to throw a few more runs in for good measure. Listening to The Razor and Mr. T after the game, it was asked whether Molina was the Giants best free agent signing behind Barry Bonds. There is no doubt Molina has been an offense savior during his tenure with the Giants, and it might not be a bad idea to keep a vet like him around, while nurturing young Buster Posey into the majors.

The Giants are playing .500 ball and still haven't lost a series since their disastrous first road trip. Since we have not posted in about a week, here's a few things we noticed during that time:

-Barry Zito is totally clean shaven and it suits him well. When you're as well-groomed as Zito looks these days, it's a sign that you are confident and take pride in what you are doing. Zito has been money as of late, maybe not $126 million money, but still. Most impressive about 2009's Zito as compared to 2007 and 2008's Zito is that he has cut back on his walks and gone deeper into ball games. He still doesn't have a win but deserves 2 or 3.
-While we're comparing grooming habits to performance, let's talk about Brian Wilson. That new haircut of his is pretty frickin cool, simply enhancing his overall coolness. After his one blown save, Wilson has bounced back strong, twice having to get a 4-out save, while also pitching a scoreless ninth in a 0-0 game.
-Wilson needed to get a pair of four out saves, because Jeremy Affeldt was twice unable to finish the eighth. Let's hope Affeldt can get things back on track, because Bruce Bochy is already talking about replacing Bob Howry with Merkin Valdez as the eighth inning righty. If the Giants are going to have any shot this year, the bullpen has got to be solid.
-Jonathan Sanchez is still struggling with the mental game. Though in his defense - and Dunae Kuiper raised a similar point - I've always felt that a pitcher should be able to go out and give up three runs and still win. Unfortunately, with this offense, when you fall down 3-0 early, a comeback does not appear likely. "How about the offense picking up a pitcher every now and agin," Kuiper said. Agreed.
-Randy Johnson is at 297, going for 298 tonight.
-More Nate Schierholtz please.

Barry Beats LA...Zito Good Too

With the all-time home run king looking on, the Giants scored the game-tying and game-winning runs on two balls that didn't leave the infield grass. I'll take it. The Giants beat the Dodgers for the first time this year and improved their home record to 7-2. With Tim Lincecum going tomorrow, the Giants now have a good chance to take the series.

Barry Zito was not quite as sharp as he was in his last outing in San Diego, as he struck out just two while walking three, but he managed to work his way out of jams through the first six innings. The Dodgers finally got to him in the seventh, and Zito was gone after a two-run homer by Casey Blake and a single by Juan Pierre. Merkin Valdez, pitching for the first time in a while, allowed a game-tying single to Orlando Hudson and go-ahead single to Manny Ramirez, but avoided further damage by getting Matt Kemp to ground into a double play. The Giants then rallied for two against Ronald Belisario in the eighth.

The story of the game might be Brian Wilson, who is now Twitter-free. A day after blowing a three-run lead in Arizona, Wilson struck out Blake, Blake DeWitt, and Rafael Furcal to close out the game. After falling behind Furcal 3-0, Wilson planted three straight knee-high fastballs for called strikes.

Of course, Barry Bonds was in the building, and I think anyone watching would agree that the man would make a great color commentator.

For Zito and the Giants, It is All About the BB

I have three words that will be the key to the Giants' success in 2009 - base on balls. If Giants hitters can coax a few of these each game, they will put themselves in a position to score runs and win games. If Giants pitchers can avoid these, it is going to be very difficult to score runs off of these guys. I believe walks were the key to our 0-6 road trip, and subsequently the key to our 4-1 homestand.

But let's talk about Barry Zito. No article or re-cap of a Zito game fails to mention the ridiculous contract he is now in his third year of. Perhaps, Zito will never escape this, but it looks like the lefty has turned over a new leaf. Zito was electric yesterday afternoon. For a guy who typically struggles in April, struggles in the first, and struggles with walks, he put forth one of his best efforts ever as a Giant. For seven innings, Zito held the Padres scoreless, allowing just two hits. Most impressive, he allowed zero walks (but did hit one batter). He even struck out the side in the fourth, facing the heart of the Padres order.

Zito did knock his ERA down several notches, but couldn't improve on his 0-2 record, seeing as how the Giants were pretty much dominated by Chris Young, whose line was pretty much identical to zeros. Still, I felt something I have not felt in a very long time. Even though the game remained 0-0 through nine innings, there was an undeniable feeling that we would eventually win this game. The Giants have now made an entire trip through the rotation with each pitcher throwing a quality start. It has created that atmosphere where every game can be won behind strong pitching. More important, something special is also developing in the bullpen behind setup guys Bob Howry and Jeremy Affeldt and closer Brian Wilson. Those three combined for three scoreless innings, with Wilson pitching two for the win.

Strong pitching, both from starters and in relief will carry the Giants far. The key for Giants hitters is to create those opportunities to score runs. Some days, those opportunities may lead to a grand slam; others, it will simply lead to that one run needed to win.

20: Losses For Barry? Wins For Lincecum?

Barry Zito losing twenty games! Tim Lincecum saving this dismal season with his 20 wins ... could it be possible? With two months left in season, it is looking like neither will happen - for better or for worse. Lincecum is doing just about everything he can to be a 20-game winner. He faced off against Arizona's Brandon Webb on Saturday and outdueled for a good seven innings - striking out 13 in the process. Unfortunately, the bullpen and the defense couldn't hold it for him. To pull off 20 wins, Lincecum would need 9 wins in two months and though he is capable of great things, it basically means he can't lose again. He could handle it on his own, but I doubt we could back him up with the right amount of run support each time. Still, with impressive numbers, I wouldn't rule Lincecum out as a Cy Young candidate.

Zito has a little bit of an edge on Lincecum, boasting 13 losses after yesterday's drubbing. That being said, Zito is bound to have one or two more decent starts before the season ends. Also, it's doubtful this team would actually put Zito in a position to lose 20 games. His ego's been bruised enough this season - they wouldn't serve him such an unavoidable blow.

Zito Finds Comfort Zone

Last night may have been my favorite Barry Zito start of the year. This doesn't mean I thought it was his most exciting. In fact, this start qualifies as my favorite because it was completely average. For the first time all season, I did not feel nervous watching him pitch. I wrote yesterday that we would probably get a strong indication of what to expect from Zito for the rest of the season, and I think that is what we received. Now fourth in the rotation, Zito appears remarkably adequate. He pitched six innings, gave up three runs, and struck out five against a bad team. These are perfectly respectable numbers for a fourth or fifth starter on a team with a really good pitching staff. In all seriousness, that is where Zito may feel most comfortable, and perhaps where he will be most effective.

Zito Goes Tonight

In 2007, Zito was able to turn things around in the second half, leading many to believe he had solved the problems that plagued him upon first joining the Giants. Unfortunately, the first half went worse for Barry than we could have possibly imagined. He has looked stronger as of late - though that is not exactly saying a whole lot. I like Zito and I am rooting for a return to form - for his sake and ours - but he does enter the first half with a big question mark on his back. We'll probably get an example of what to expect from the lefty when he takes the mound tonight against the Washington Nationals. The largest question attached to Zito - just how much can we put up with? The Giants have three solid, young starters in Cain, Lincecum and Sanchez. Correia has floundered as of late, but also had his moments. Noah Lowly has started rehabbing, and there's a good deal of promising pitchers in the lower levels of the minor leagues. We're only in the second year of Zito's seven-year deal, but how long before there's no room for him on this staff?

Live Blog: Zito Starts vs. Pirates

4:21 PM: Zito did put two men on in his first inning - a hard hit single and a hit-by-pitch, but he didn't allow any runs and the majority of his pitches were strikes. Most encouraging - two strikeouts! Come on Zito, we're with you buddy.

4:34 PM: Come on, guys, manufacture some runs for Zito. Molina gets a hit, Aurilla walks, Castillo advances a runner ... but Burriss and Bocock couldn't get a run across. I realize you've gotta play these guys and they do show promise, but right now it's like having three pitchers in the 7-8-9 holes.

4:37 PM: Four hitters. Three strikeouts. It's a new Zito! Jon Miller called his last curveball, "a beauty."

4:41 PM: Two shutout innings. Go Zito!

4:44 PM: Zito strikes out. He still needs to get his head straight on batting.

4:59 PM: Three shutout innings. Zito allowed a double, and the pitch count is relatively high, but he is pitching real strong. He's already reached his season high for strikeouts in a game, and the mix of pitches seem to be working well. He seems to be throwing mostly off speed stuff, but he's getting the hitters to swing - and most miss, and weakly hit into an out.

Zito to Return To Rotation

Well, looks like that stint in the bullpen did the trick - even though he never pitched. Barry Zito is scheduled to start tomorrow.

"Barry's going to start. He's a starter," Bruce Bochy said. "We felt we had to break it up and give him a break. We were hoping we cold get him out there (in relief) a couple of times. Now, that didn't happen, so he's going back into the rotation."

Looks like they went with the "skip a start" strategy that I was hoping for, only they called it a demotion to the bullpen.

Obligatory Barry Zito Post

Today, Barry Zito is front page news in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Barry Zito always prided himself on his mental strength and his crafty pitching. Now he's having trouble with both....

"Barry's the most conscientious and caring of guys. That's a burden you have to manage," said sports psychologist Harvey Dorfman, who lists Zito as a client. "You care too much, and 'too' is a deadly word. 'I try too hard.' No good. 'Too' is a killer. It means excessive."

How did Zito fall into the deepest hole of his career? More important to Giants fans, can he climb out?

Jayson Stark devotes several paragraphs to Zito today in his April "Rumblings and Grumblings":

So we posed this question: How much money would the Giants have to pay of Zito's remaining $112.5 million or so to get somebody -- anybody -- interested?

"The Giants would have to eat 80 percent -- I'm talking $80-90 million," the official replied. "But they'd never do that. If that's what they'd have to eat, they might as well just let the guy keep being horse[feathers]."

There's more to it. So read on.

Zito Begins a New Day

Opinions about Barry Zito are like an asshole - everybody's got one. It didn't take long for the Giants to become national news with some guy named Barry. The Giants are, in fact, doomed to always have a Barry Curse. That being said, Jayson Stark still thinks the Mike Hampton signing was worse. Take that Jim "Worst signing in history" Rome!

Regardless of what people are saying, the big question is - what are Zito and the Giants doing? Pitching coach Dave Righetti is going to work hard with him in the bullpen and says, "I told him, 'I don't care if you fly to Africa between starts. If you get somebody out, I'll pay for it." Careful with your words - Zito might take you up on it.

Righetti also added, "A positive attitude when you're out there carries you through a lot of things."

Buster Olney on Zito

Baseball Tonight Discusses Zito

Gwenn Knapp says, "Forget the Money"

When thinking about Barry Zito, we all need to forget about the $126 million contract. "He has an 0-6 record and a 7.53 ERA, yet the numbers, as hideous as they are, only begin to explain the problem," Knapp writes.

Zito is fast becoming the pitcher's answer to Chuck Knoblauch and Steve Sax, second basemen who unaccountably lost the ability to throw to first base. Whatever it is that made him a major-league athlete has gone missing.

She later reiterates a good point that I've heard a few times this week.

The upper-level brass gave Zito an extravagant contract to prove a point. They wanted to appease fans who thought that the club had sold out the future when it invested another wad of cash in Barry Bonds. The $126 million was pure showboating.

Let's hope that Zito can work out the psychological kinks and at least return to some semblance of decency. Meanwhile, you should look on the bright side - Jason Schmidt will receive more money from the Dodgers this year, and he hasn't started a game in a year.

To the 'Pen

In an effort to help Barry Zito, the Giants have decided to temporarily move him to the bullpen. Not sure how I feel about this. "We'll watch and see how things go," Bruce Bochy said. "Right now, we're going to leave it at that, that he's going to be helping us in the bullpen."

Zito ... ?

Regardless of how exciting Fred Lewis is to watch, the topic of conversation amongst Giants fans today is undoubtedly Barry Zito. Or more specifically, like we asked last week, what do we do with Zito. Much has been made about Giants fans booing the pitcher, but yesterday - with the bases loaded in the first - the crowd was behind Zito trying to will him to success. It was actually a nice moment. These fans will be polite, but - with a record at 0-6 and nothing positive to take from it, everyone is wondering what to do with this guy.

"We're going to get together here," said Bruce Bochy of a meeting that will take place with Brian Sabean and Peter McGowan. "We've got to do something different. There's no doubt about that. We can't keep doing what we're doing. We need to get together and get a game plan on what we think is best." The bullpen is an option.

I am listening to Gary Radnich on KNBR, and an astrologist named Andrea just called in to let us know that Zito is in a bad astrological cycle right now. He will snap out of it, though, he says.

"Obviously it's hurting the team right now," Zito said. "It's not a good place to be personally, but those guys make the decisions and we always trust what they want us to do. They know how to manage teams and ballclubs. I've brought it on myself. It's not that they're acting rash in a situation that wouldn't call for it."

Zito got rocked yesterday in the Giants 10-1 loss to Cincinnati yesterday. The defense wasn't great behind him and the offense there, but Zito wasn't fooling anybody. I feel like his issues are mostly centered around confidence, but I don't know how he can snap out of it.

What do you think?

The Splash is asking the same question, while also calling him, "Just Awful."

Tim Kawakami calls him the "new Matt Morris."

Giants Win says this is "As ugly as it gets."

Bay City Ball gives many reasons not to be optimistic.

What Do You Do With Zito?

He struggles while the rest of the staff flourishes or at least shows promise. They say his velocity is down, that he can't locate the fastball, and he's not feeling confident. You won't release him, can't trade him, and can't convert him to a hitter a la Rick Ankiel. So ... what do you do?

Skip a start: This is the option I would be leaning towards. Give him some time to breathe and move him to the back of the rotation. Dave Righetti disagrees. "Who the hell is going to pitch? We're not that deep in starting pitching. Noah Lowry is hurting now and we're not that deep in Triple-A. We need (Zito) to pitch."

Move him to the 'Pen: Well, if the Giants need him to start, than this option doesn't even make sense anyway. Regardless, even if it could happen, something tells me Zito wouldn't be getting called in in the sixth with the bases loaded, one out, and Prince Fielder at the plate.

I like Zito, but this is becoming very frustrating. Scott Olster put it very well today when he wrote:

You can't blame him for taking all that money. I know what I'll say if my agent asks me, "Would you rather sign for $126 million or $50 million?"

Making matters worse, manager Bruce Bochy designated Zito the staff ace coming out of spring training, thus ensuring Zito would start the season dueling some of the best pitchers in baseball. Result: 0-5.

It's so much more satisfying when you can put your heart into booing a guy. Zito denies you that joy. He works his fanny off, and he's an interesting, thoughtful, well-rounded young man who gives money and time to wounded U.S. soldiers.

Yet every fifth day, fans treat him as if he just shot up a strip club with an Uzi, set it ablaze then beat out the fire with his dog.

Barry Zito Needs Your Love

Come on, Giants fans. No booing Barry Zito! He needs all the support he can get going for his first win tonight. I have had a well-documented love affair with Zito in the blogosphere which has withered a bit with time because I've grown tired of defending a signing that everyone hates. My hope is the lefty can reinvent himself now that his fastball is not so fast. Charlie says he could become a Tom Glavine; I'll settle for Kirk Rueter.

Observations From This Weekend

I had the chance to watch pretty much all of Saturday's 14-8 win over the Mariners and today's 5-2 loss to the Angels. Here are some things that stood out to me:

- Both Barry Zito (5.1 IP, 7 ER) and Matt Cain (6 IP, 5 ER) had ugly lines in the box score, but both recovered well from bad first innings, especially Cain, who didn't allow a run in his final five innings. Zito has yet to strike out a batter this spring, but after the first inning he was able to keep the ball down and he got some swings-and-misses against his breaking balls, which is encouraging.

- The Giants seem to have come the realization that Dan Ortmeier, who is hitting .167 in 42 at-bats, is not ready to be an everyday player at the big league level. At the moment it appears Rich Aurilia will get the opening day start. At this point, I don't think the Giants have any choice but to trade for a first baseman, as they lose what little roster depth they had with Aurilia in the lineup.

- Brian Bocock can field like a major leaguer, but he hits like the single-A player he is. Duane Kuiper noted that he probably hasn't seen many pitchers like Erik Bedard and Jered Weaver, and he looked completely overmatched. It won't get much easier in the NL West. It frustrates me that the Giants were willing to give Kevin Frandsen a shot at short but not Eugenio Velez.

- The three top bullpen arms - Brian Wilson, Tyler Walker, and Brad Hennessey - all looked very good in their outings this weekend. I haven't seen Jack Taschner live in action, but his numbers are very good, and he should make the team. I expect the other three spots in the bullpen to go to Vinnie Chulk, Steve Kline, and Merkin Valdez.

- I was impressed with what I saw out of Aaron Rowand. Everyone seems to be anticipating a huge drop-off in his production, but I think he could still put together a very solid season.

Dear Barry Zito

Dear Barry Zito:

I have used space on my blog to write open letters to before and I will continue to do so this season. Just so you know, I have not given up on you. You are still my favorite player and I expect to carry a big grin on my face when you become the first Giant Cy Young winner since god knows when.

Which is why I am writing you to say - don't worry about it; it's not so bad. I know you only lasted 2/3 of an inning in your spring debut. Sure, you gave up 8 runs during that time, but you should still hang your head high, hit the club with some friends, and then come home and play guitar along with your favorite John Mayer songs.

The pressure will always be on you, courtesy of that fat salary. But, don't forget, you earned that contract and you will continue to earn it. You are still at the front of what I consider to be one of the best Giants staffs ever. You are a mentor for those young players, and you will regain your swagger. So, don't beat yourself up over one start. Just ask yourself, "What would someone with warrior spirt do?" Well, they would know they were going to thrive their next time out, and simply brush it off.

all the best,
Will of Still Orange and Black