Same Problems Plague Giants, Wilson

Last night had all the makings of an inspiring Giants win - a rejuvenated offense with the callup of Jesus Guzman, seven strong innings from Tim Lincecum, a clutch game-tying home run from Aaron Rowand, and scratching out a run against a closer who hadn't allowed one all season. Unfortunately, the Giants leave with yet another loss, one that can be attributed to all the same problems that have plagued them over the past two weeks.

Closer Brian Wilson will take much of the heat for last night's loss - and some of that is warranted. He did enter with a 2-1 lead and, as Jon Miller put it on the radio broadcast, proceeded to hand them runners. Only the game-winning single was hard earned, as Wilson put himself in a precarious position by walking two batters and hitting another. Wilson has allowed winning runs in three of his last four appearances, calling for more than one fan to wonder why Jeremy Affeldt is not pitching the ninth innings.

Here at SO&B, we are Wilson fans but will acknowledge that he is currently in the worst patch of his young career. If the Giants were serious contenders this year, then Wilson's job may be on the line. But since this is yet another development/rebuilding year, I can't see the point in threatening Wilson's ninth inning role. Wilson clearly has issues with control that need to be worked on. It is important to remember that Wilson is only in his second full season, and he has been groomed as the closer of the future. If he is going to adopt such a role, he needs to develop his command and he needs to learn how to get out of a rut like the one he is in now.

But Wilson does not deserve all the blame. The offense continues to lack inspiration with runners in scoring position. Bruce Bochy sent Guzman up as a pinch hitter in the seventh with runners on the corner and one out - only to have Guzman hit into a double play. They managed one run in the ninth and could have added insurance but were hindered by Bengie Molina being unable to score from second on a Nate Schierholtz single. With the bases loaded and one out, Guzman struck out and Kevin Frandsen grounded out, leaving the score at 2-1.

On a positive note, Lincecum was electric as usual - 7 innings, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 run, and 10 strikeouts. Additionally, Rowand was a cool 2-for-4 raising his average to .270; Randy Winn stayed hot with two hits including a clutch ninth inning single; and Affeldt pitched a perfect 2/3 of the eighth.

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.

Giants Get Sweet Revenge

You may remember a game, almost two years ago today. The Giants were playing the Mets in a nationally televised game. Tim Lincecum made his fifth major start, allowing three runs and striking out eight in seven innings. But the game remained tied at three until the Giants scored the go-ahead run in the top of the twelfth inning. Armando Benitez came in to close it out and, well, the rest is history. A walk to Jose Reyes and a couple of balks later, the game was tied. Carlos Delgado finished it with a walk-off homer. Benitez would not pitch in a Giants uniform again, and that game remains one of the more crushing losses of the past few years.

On Sunday, the universe went a long way towards righting itself. Once again on ESPN, the Giants won 2-0, thanks entirely to a couple of well-timed balks by Mets' starter Mike Pelfrey, who never seemed very comfortable on the mound. In the first time, after Pablo Sandoval singled, Pelfrey seemed to catch his spike in the dirt and couldn't get the pitch off. Sandoval went to second, and came home on a Bengie Molina single. In the fifth inning, after Aaron Rowand led off with a single, Pelfrey started and stopped. Travis Ishikawa advanced Rowand to third with a groundout, and then Matt Cain helped himself with an RBI single, after a suicide squeeze attempt went foul. Cain continued to allow a lot of baserunners, walking five and throwing nearly 120 pitches in six innings, but he continued to work his way out of trouble. Jeremy Affeldt had another good outing. After a Carlos Beltran double put runners on second and third with nobody out in the eighth, Affeldt struck out Gary Sheffield, intentionally walked David Wright, and got pinch-hitter Angel Pagan to ground into a double play. Brian Wilson pitch a one-two-three ninth for his ninth save.

If you were watching the ESPN telecast, you might not have realized that there were actually two teams on the field. The broadcast team of Joe Morgan and Steve Phillips, egged on by Jon Miller, spent nearly the whole game talking about the Mets and their "leadership issues." Phillips at one point said that the Mets don't have that "perfect player" like Dustin Pedroia or Derek Jeter, and later suggested that they should consider trading Carlos Beltran, because despite being one of the best players in baseball, he just doesn't have that gamer/clubhouse presence that we all know is more important. Hey, if the Mets want a center fielder with those attributes, maybe we could swing a deal (he hit into another bases loaded double play today, but at least he hustled really hard!). If only Steve Phillips were still the Mets' GM. But seriously, it seems like a lot of people buy into that school of thinking. Dear Mets' fans: I would love to have David Wright's, Jose Reyes's, or Carlos Beltran's problems.

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.

Who Would've Thought a 2-1 Weekend Would Be A Disappointment

Going into Friday's game, all I wanted was for the Giants to take two of three from Arizona, and that they did. It is a little disappointing because they came oh-so-close to leaving with a sweep, but here's a look back at a mostly positive weekend...

If you watched Friday night's game, then it was painfully clear that something is just not right with Tim Lincecum. Despite a Giants win, Lincecum in no way resembled the 2008 Cy Young award winner we know and love. He could only muster eight innings, and allowed a whopping five hits. Even worse, his strikeout total dropped from 13 in his previous start to only 12. He also increased his walk total from his previous start, allowing one. And, he allowed a 2-out RBI single to a pitcher! Miraculously, the Giants dominant offense carried them to a 5-1 victory.

Saturday's victory resembled the kind of win that only winning teams get. You know the kind where your number starter gets knocked out early, and your offense and bullpen carry you to victory. Clutch two-out hitting has been rather elusive for the Orange and Black, but all five came in such circumstances - an Edgar Renteria double, a Randy Winn homer, and a single from the oft hitting challenged Emmanuel Burris. The hitting was clutch, but I just cannot say enough good things about the bullpen's performance, especially the strong setup guys we have in Jeremy Affeldt and Bob Howry. A major issue the Giants have faced in their string of losing seasons has been a lack of quality setup guys to finish the job - coupled with starters who cannot go deep. Both Affeldt and Howry have handled their late-inning duties successfully (each has three holds), achieving a certain late inning confidence.

What was that about late inning confidence? Sunday's game had all the makings of an inspiring getaway win for the Giants - seven solid innings from Matt Cain (who was in line for win number three), a clutch homer from Pablo Sandoval, more great setup work from Affeldt and Howry, and a 4-1 lead with Brian Wilson on the mound. Blown saves happen - it is just a fact. I will not go into any monologues trying to diagnose Brian Wilson's strength and weaknesses. Even the best closers have a bad day. Despite the loss, there are still numerous positives to take from this game and even more from the series - the Giants have turned that dismal 2-7 into a respectable 8-9.

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.

Giants Win! My Joe Martinez Theory

I have this theory. Before Joe Martinez took a line drive to the face, the Giants were riding high, en route to a 2-1 start. The event shook the Giants up pretty good - it was evident from their reactions after the fact. I think the orange and black took that with them on the road, and it showed in their play. Mental mistakes were made in the field, baserunning gaffes cost the team runs, and the pitching was not anywhere near as sharp as we expected.With the Giants returning home on Friday night, Martinez was in the building looking significantly better and I think his presence really loosened everyone up a bit. I expect better play from this team in the coming weeks. It wasn't a strong night on the offensive front - save Andres Torres' insurance homer in the eighth when he could not get around the bases fast enough. This evening was really about the pitching.

We had concerns about Jonathan Sanchez when he mentally broke down in his first start, however his line was strong against the Diamondbacks - nearly seven shutout innings of 2-hit ball. Then the trio of pitchers who blew the lead against the Dodgers last Wednesday sealed the deal this time - 1 out from Jeremy Affeldt, 2 from Bob Howry, and then 4 from Brian Wilson in his first save of the season. With strong pitching, a decent bullpen, and an un-threatening lineup, these are the kinds of games the Giants need to be winning to stay competitive.