Talking Giants Baseball Interview With 2011 San Francisco Giants First-Round Draft Pick Joe Panik

By Vince Cestone
Twitter @vintalkingiants

Photo by Ashlie Bernal

Joe Panik is the San Francisco Giants' 2011 No. 1 draft pick. While his main position his shortstop, Panik says he can play all over the infield.

Panik may not be a power-hitter, but he will definitely make contact, take walks, and give you a grind-it-out at-bat. He is currently hitting .254, with a solid .349 on-base percentage for the San Jose Giants.

He has also taken 26 walks in 46 games. I had a chance to sit down and talk with the talented, young 22-year-old prospect.

Here is the interview. I will post the full story (and video interview) once the piece goes up on NBCBayArea.com.

...

Vince: We got Joe Panik the number 1 draft pick from last year. How are you doing today Joe?

Joe: Good.

Vince: Going alright?

Joe: Going very good.

Vince: Alright, so let’s get started. How does it feel right now to play baseball professionally?

Joe: You know, it’s a dream, as you know, every little kid’s dream is to play baseball professionally. To be able to live that dream, it’s…you know, you definitely don’t take it for granted, and you definitely appreciate coming to the ballpark every day.

Vince: Tell us briefly how you got started in baseball.

Joe: You know, my dad, big baseball fan growing up, you know, big baseball fan. When I was a young kid, we would always be watching baseball on TV, and you know, when I was three years old, we would go out, my dad would toss me a ball, and it started from when I was young just watching TV. Going to the park, and all of those things, went through little league, and it’s just something I did from when I was young. You know, it really became a passion of mine.

Vince: Any favorite teams?

Joe: Growing up, I was a Yankees fan, just being from New York, but I won’t say that now. You know, I’m definitely a Giants fan now.

Vince: Let’s talk baseball now. How would you describe yourself as a ballplayer in general?

Joe: You know, I always consider myself a competitor. I might not have all the flashy tools, but I go out there day in and day out. I grind out at-bats. I feel like I’m a tough out, and a guy who will get on base and get pitched around.

Vince: Tell me a little bit more about your hitting approach. Are you more of a see-ball, hit-ball person, wait-em out, or both even?

Joe: You want to try to have a little bit of both, but I would consider myself more of a patient hitter, just because of the character I am. I’m not really a power guy, so I try to be more patient, work walks, kind of go that way, but you know, there are some times where you have to jump early in the count, you know, try to mix it up a little bit.

Vince: As far as your defense, are you…I see you play shortstop. Can you play all over the infield?

Joe: Yeah, I can play all over the infield. You know, I have some experience at second base in the Arizona Fall League and a little bit of big league camp and spring training, but you know, shortstop has been my position throughout.

Vince: Defensively, what are your assets? Do you have a good arm, strong arm, accurate?

Joe: I got a quick release. I’m very accurate. I’m not the strongest of arms, but I get rid of it quick, and I still have a good baseball IQ where I understand the runners, and, you know, how to handle certain balls, and how to get rid of it.

Vince: Now, as far as your hitting, I see you’re off to a bit of a slow start average-wise, but I have a feeling that’s not the real Joe Panik. You do have 8 doubles, you have 15 RBIs, not bad, you’re OBP is good. Is this the real Joe Panik or are we going to see more later on?

Joe: You know, I definitely have not gotten into a groove offensively. It’s been kind of a slow start, but we’re winning right now and so that’s kind of helping everything, definitely, but you know, good things are coming. I’m starting to feel good. I’ve been working every day, you know, in the cages and on the field. The swings are feeling really good, so good things are coming.

Vince: Yesterday, you had a pretty good day at the plate. How do you feel at the plate right now?

Joe: You know, I’m getting more confident. The more at-bats you get throughout a season, you get more comfortable at the plate, and you know, you get your timing back, you’re rhythm…you know, in the past week or so, I feel I’m getting my confidence. I’m getting into the rhythm. I’m really starting to see the ball well.

Vince: Recently, you were just in spring training. What did you learn from that?

Joe: I learned everyone works hard. No matter how talented you are. Guys like Tim Lincecum, you know, guys at the top in the game, they work as you know harder than anybody. Definitely, take that approach because you want to get up there someday. 

Vince: Last question. What are you working on right now and what are your goals for the future?

Joe: I’m trying to improve. You know, pretty much just trying to polish off my game in general. You can always get better at everything, and you know obviously my goal is to improve because like I said, to get to the majors, you can’t…you’re not good enough to just stay put. You’re not getting better. You’re getting worse. That’s my motto, so just trying to improve my hitting, and trying to get more quality at-bats. Defensively, just keep making the plays, keeping it solid, and helping the pitchers out.

Vince: Thank you.



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Information from MILB.com contributed to this article. 

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RICH LIEBERMAN 415 MEDIA: The Whole World is Watching

RICH LIEBERMAN 415 MEDIA: The Whole World is Watching: Why do I rail? Because no one else does. They can continue to destroy radio in this market. They'll be called out. They can have gui...

Sanchez, Posey Propel Giants Win In 14-Inning Affair in Milwaukee

By Vince Cestone
Twitter @vintalkingiants

The phrase "Bye, Bye Baby!" found its way back for the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 thanks to the home-run ball. San Francisco scored all four of their runs on home runs.

The Giants jumped out in front 3-0 on a three-run, first-inning big fly from Buster Posey off of Brewers' starter Randy Wolf. They would not score again until the top of the 14th inning, when backup catcher Hector Sanchez launched a go-ahead home run, giving the Giants a 4-3 lead.

Giants starter Madison Bumgarner cruised along until the bottom of the eighth inning. With Bumgarner and the Giants leading 3-1, shortstop Brandon Crawford made a crucial error with two outs just before Brewers' slugger Ryan Braun came to the plate.

Bumgarner's hope for a win was tarnished after Braun launched a 1-2 slider well over the left-center field wall. The game was suddenly tied 3-3.

Setup man Sergio Romo was ready to go in the bullpen, but Giants' manager Bruce Bochy opted to let Bumgarner face Braun. The move backfired, but the Giants maintained focus going into extra innings.

Before Sanchez's go-ahead, extra-inning home run, the Brewers threatened to win the game.

Milwaukee had a shot in the bottom of the 12th inning. With two on and two out, Giants' reliever Javier Lopez induced a Nyjer Morgan groundout to send the game to the 13th inning.

Morgan replaced Braun, who left the game with tightness in his groin. Braun is listed as day-to-day, and according to RotoWorld.com, he told reporters he was not sure if he would play in Game 2 of the series.

The only sour pill the Giants swallowed was the no-decision for Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner pitched 7 2/3 innings, giving up three runs (one earned), five hits, while amassing 10 strikeouts.

Another sour note to the Giants' win was shaky defense once again. The Giants made two more errors in Monday's game, increasing their error total to 44 on the season.

The Giants lead the National League in errors.

Fortunately, the Giants' bullpen picked up Crawford, who made the crucial eighth-inning error. In 6 1/3 innings, Giants relievers surrendered no runs and just one hit.

Giants interim closer Santiago Casilla shut the door in the bottom of the 14th inning to earn the win, inducing a game-ending flyout off the bat of Corey Hart, who went 0-for-6 on the night.

Melky Cabera continued his hot-hitting ways, going 3-for-5 with two walks and a triple. Cabrera's batting average increased to .360.

Cabrera leads all of baseball with 62 hits for the season, just behind the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter who has 60 hits.

...


I can not reiterate enough about how Bruce Bochy is doing a phenomenal job keeping this team relevant.

The Giants lead the league in errors, lost their meal tickets Pablo Sandoval and Brian Wilson to injuries, have the weakest infield in baseball, and are watching their rival Los Angeles Dodgers dominate the National League.

San Francisco have a lot on their plate in 2012, but somehow, someway, they are just one game back of the NL wild-card lead.

How is a team that has so much going against them still standing?

Pitching.

The Giants sit at 22-20 because of their 3.32 team earned-run average, good for third in the league. I do not know the exact numbers, but the Giants appear to pitch through errors better than any other team in baseball--they had to have done so if they are over 500.

A quick comment about the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wow.

They are just on fire right now. They currently have a five-game winning streak, including a sweep of the first-place St. Louis Cardinals.

This is all with the absence of their slugger Matt Kemp. They will be awfully tough to beat, but there is a lot of season left.

San Francisco is currently seven games behind the Dodgers.


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Information from ESPN.com contributed to this article.

Image Attribution: By Ed Bierman on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 

Giants Look For Third-Straight Series Sweep at Home Versus Cross-Bay Rival Athletics

A pattern is starting to emerge.

For the past two seasons, The San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics exchanged series sweeps against each other. The Bay Area team who played at home was the club who brought out the broom.

The two teams play each other six times per year, three in San Francisco and three in Oakland.

History appears to be repeating itself.

Game 1 and Game 2 of the Bay Bridge Series were like night and day. Offense erupted in Game 1, where the Giants held on to beat the A's 8-6.

Game 2, however, was more of the light offensive game you would expect from these two clubs.

The Giants and A's took a scoreless tie into the seventh inning. Ryan Vogelsong would outlast Tyson Ross in a classic pitcher's duel.

Ross escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, he induced an infield popout from Angel Pagan, followed by a strikeout from Brandon Belt.

In the second inning, the Giants left another runner in scoring position, as Brandon Crawford struck out swinging.

San Francisco broke through in seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Melky Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly into deep right-center field, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead.

The Giants tacked on three more runs in the inning. Buster Posey's RBI ground-rule double knocked in Vogelsong from third base to give the Giants a 2-0 lead.

The next batter, Pagan, delivered the big blow in the game. With Blanco at third and Posey at second, Pagan blooped a single to center field, which scored both runs and made the score 4-0.

This would be more than enough for the Giants.

Vogelsong gave up just one hit and no runs in seven innings, with five strikeouts and one walk. Ross was the hard-luck loser, pitching six innings of two-run ball.

Javier Lopez and Clay Hensley pitched a scoreless inning each to preserve the shutout against the A's. The Giants now have won eleven games in a row against the Athletics at AT&T Park.

Brandon Crawford continued his hot-hitting from the two-spot in the order. On Saturday, he went 2-for-4, and since being inserted into the two-hole, Crawford is 5-for-14 (.357)

The Giants will look for their fourth straight home series sweep against the A's Sunday. Tim Lincecum (2-3, 5.77 ERA) will take on Bartolo Colon (3-4, 4.13 ERA).

...

My respect for Bruce Bochy and the Giants just went up. The fact that this team is 21-19 is simply a borderline miracle.

The Giants have 2011 Fresno Grizzlies or minor leaguers at the following positions in today's lineup: first base (Belt), second base (Emmanuel Burriss), shortstop (Crawford), and third base (Joaquin Arias).

Notice anything? That is the entire Giants' infield.

San Francisco is also 21st in the league in runs scored with 153.

Even more remarkable is the Giants lead all of baseball in errors with 42. Usually, this spells disaster for any ball club, but they are third in the National League in ERA with a 3.36 clip.

More often than not, the pitching bails out the Giants' errors.

It will be interesting to see the moves the Giants make to improve their club.

San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies Weather Report, May 15 2012

By Vince Cestone (with help from Christina Loren)
Twitter @vintalkingiants

The winds will slightly shift westward, which will carry the baseball out toward straightaway center field for tonight's contest between the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants.

The game-time temperature will be a cool, calm 54 degrees. According to Christina Loren's weather report, there will be no chance of rain.

The west wind at 11 mph will push the ball straight out towards center field. This will close the right-center field gap a bit, but the wind could help Tim Lincecum tonight, who is a fly-ball pitcher.

Tonight, Tim Lincecum (2-3, 5.89 ERA) will take on the Rockies' Jeremy Guthrie (2-1, 5.92 ERA). Looking solely at the ERAs, offense could be a-plenty tonight at the ballpark.


Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants

For more spot-on weather forecasts, tune into Today in the Bay every morning at 4:30 a.m. on NBC Bay Area. Or, follow Christina Loren on Twitter @Christina_Loren.

Be sure to subscribe to my blog (subscribe button is on the left side of the web site)

Information from Daily Baseball Data contributed to this article.

San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies Weather Report

By Vince Cestone (with help from Christina Loren)
Twitter @vintalkingiants

Unlike the benign conditions at the Arizona Diamondbacks' roofed stadium, San Francisco's AT&T Park will be howling with winds that could give the baseball a push towards center field.

The game-time temperature will be a cool, clear 52 degrees. The 11-mph winds will be blowing from the west-northwest, which will give the ball a push out to slightly right of center field.

Rain will not even be a factor in tonight's game, so brace yourself for a wonderful summer night in the city by the bay.

 ...

Tonight, Ryan Vogelsong (1-2, 2.94 ERA) will take on Christian Friedrich (1-0, 1.50 ERA).


Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants

For more spot-on weather forecasts, tune into Today in the Bay every morning at 4:30 a.m. on NBC Bay Area. Or, follow Christina Loren on Twitter @Christina_Loren.

Be sure to subscribe to my blog (subscribe button is on the left side of the web site)

Information from Daily Baseball Data contributed to this article.

Photo Attribution:
By Bspangenberg (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Giants Snap Nine-Game Skid Against Arizona, Look For .500 Road Trip

By Vince Cestone
Twitter @vintalkingiants
 
The San Francisco Giants finally got the monkey off their back.

To say the Giants needed this one is an understatement.

Coming into last night's game, the Arizona Diamondbacks won nine straight against San Francisco. In their last 12 games against Arizona, the Giants were just 2-10.

 

The last game the Giants won against the Diamondbacks was a game at AT&T Park started by Matt Cain. Nine games later, Cain would win his next game against Arizona essentially all by himself.

In addition to pitching six innings of eight-strikeout, one-run ball, Cain went 2-for-2 with two RBIs. His two-run double in the sixth inning padded the Giants' lead to 4-1.

Offensively, the Giants jumped out early. After Gregor Blanco walked to lead off the game, he stood at third within a blink of an eye thanks to a pickoff throwing error by Arizona's starting pitcher Trevor Cahill.

After the Diamondbacks tied the game in the third inning, the Giants jumped out in front again in the fifth inning on a RBI Melky Cabrera fan-interfered double down the right-field line.

Cabrera hit another RBI double in the ninth inning that padded the Giants' lead to 5-2. The Giants would go on to win by that score.

Brandon Belt brought Blanco in with a RBI groundout.

The Giants did not play error-free baseball, but they made the plays they needed to make at the right time. After the Giants allowed an unearned run on a throwing error by Brandon Crawford in the seventh inning, third-baseman Joaquin Arias made a diving stop on a ball ticketed for the left-field line off the bat of Ryan Roberts in the eighth inning.

Arias threw a strike to first and gunned down Roberts to retire the side.

Brandon Crawford, however, racked up another error. In 27 games played at shortstop this season, Crawford has already committed eight errors, which is second-most in the league.

Crawford redeemed himself on the very next play when he gunned down leadoff man Willie Bloomquist on a ball hit softly to shortstop.

The Giants committed two more errors Saturday, bringing their total to a major-league leading 37 errors.

... 

The Giants will look to take the series Sunday behind Barry Zito (1-1, 2.21), who will take on Joe Saunders (2-2, 2.50).

Saunders is coming off a horrible start against the St. Louis Cardinals, where he lasted just 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits.

Melky Cabrera has a 10-game hitting streak. He is hitting .429 in that streak with a .455 on-base percentage. He may have some trouble against Saunders, however, as he is just 1-for-10 lifetime against the left-handed pitcher.

A glaring stat, besides the defense, that the Giants must improve upon is hitting with runners in scoring position. They are hitting just .207 in those at-bats, second-worst in Major League Baseball behind the Miami Marlins' .199 clip.

With the AAA lineup the Giants are running out there due to injury, it is crucial they manufacture runs, play good fundamentals, and get on base for the veterans. A few bloops or seeing-eye singles would help too.

With all the misery that has gone on this road trip, a 3-3 mark would probably more than satisfy the Giants and give them good vibes heading home.


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Information from ESPN.com and MLB.com contributed to this article.


Image Attribution:
By User eürodäna (Original version) User StormXor (Crop) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
By PMell2293 on flickr (Diamondbacks Logo)

Giants, Pill Break the Kershaw Curse in Pitching Spectacular

The San Francisco Giants broke the Clayton Kershaw albatross with a thrilling 2-1 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

Kershaw brought a five-game winning streak against the Giants coming into Tuesday night's contest between the two National League West rivals. The Dodgers' young left-handed ace had a career 1.27 ERA against San Francisco, and the Giants had only beaten him once before last night's game.

The Giants made a statement early. In the top of the second inning, Buster Posey singled on the first pitch he saw--a fastball up.

The next batter, young first baseman Brett Pill, promptly launched a two-run homerun, which gave the Giants a 2-0 lead. The Giants would score no more in the game, but this small offensive outburst proved to be all San Francisco would need.

With the help of Ryan Vogelsong's valiant pitching performance and a few timely double plays, the Giants were able to make two runs stick. The Dodgers scored one run on a James Loney double in the bottom of the second inning but could score no more.

Los Angeles' best scoring chance occurred in the eighth inning. With runners at second and third with one out, The Giants elected to walk Matt Kemp to load the bases for Andre Ethier.

The Dodgers seemed poised to tie the game--and perhaps do more. However, Javier Lopez was summoned from the bullpen to get Ethier out, and he did just that.

The Giants' lefty specialist coaxed Andre Ethier to swing at an outside pitch and roll into a double play. First baseman Brandon Belt was able to scoop a tough hop to complete the pair.

Lopez and Santillago Casilla combined to throw a one-two-three ninth inning.

Vogelsong pitched his best game of the season. In 7 1/3 innings, he yielded just one run on eight hits, while striking out just one.

And thus, the Clayton Kershaw riddle was solved by San Francisco.

...

The Giants will look to take the series tonight with their ace Tim Lincecum (2-2, 5.68) on the hill. The Dodgers will counter with Chad Billingsley (2-2, 3.19).

Here are a few players to watch against Billingsley:

• Brandon Belt, 2-for-5, 1 HR
• Gregor Blanco, 2-for-3, 2 BB
• Buster Posey, 9-for-20 (.450), 4 RBI
• Nate Schierholtz, 8-for-19 (.421), 3 2B

Gregor Blanco is likely to play tonight after Angel Pagan left last night's game with a tight left hamstring.

...

Another interesting point. Many Dodger fans wondered why Mark Ellis was asked to bunt by Don Mattingly in the eighth inning with runners at first and second with nobody out.

The Giants intentionally walked Kemp, which brought out Lopez from the bullpen to face Andre Ethier. Ethier proceeded to roll into an inning-ending double play.

In Mattingly's defense, I think he did the right thing. Andre Ethier is one of the best hitters in the National League, and leads the league with 30 RBIs.

Most managers would probably love to play those odds, but fortunately for the Giants, Ethier rolled over on a great pitch by Lopez
...
 
Tonight should be a great pitching matchup. Tune in to NBC Bay Area at 7:00 p.m. for all the action.


Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants

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Information from ESPN.com and MLB.com contributed to this article.

Image Attribution:
By Aunti Juli on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
By SD Dirk on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "Clayton Kershaw") [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Giants, Cabrera End Homestand on Positive Note, Head to Los Angeles for NL West Showdown

By Vince Cestone
Twitter @vintalkingiants

The San Francisco Giants salvaged their homestand with a 4-5 record, capping it off with a series victory against the Milwaukee Brewers.

San Francisco's series victory was far from easy. The Giants held a 3-2 lead into the the top of the ninth inning, which was lost after the Brewers scored an unearned run in the inning.

Third baseman Connor Gillespie opened the ninth with an error that allowed Corey Hart to reach first base. Hart later scored on a two-out double by former Giant Travis Ishikawa, tying the game at three.

Unfortunately, Matt Cain was not rewarded for his gem. In seven innings pitched, Cain surrendered two runs on six hits, while striking out 10.

Cain received a no-decision after the Brewers tied the game in the ninth.

However, the Giants would go on to win the game on a bases-loaded, walk-off single by Hector Sanchez.

Although the Giants committed yet another error Sunday, left-fielder Melky Cabrera flashed the leather in the top of the 11th inning. With Hart at first base and nobody out, Catcher Jonathan Lucroy lined a laser beam to Cabrera in left field, who made a running, snow-cone catch.

Hart was doubled up on the play, and the Giants retired the next batter Tyler Green on a comebacker to the pitcher.

Giants' center fielder Angel Pagan went 2-for-4 with a double Sunday and extended his hitting streak to 20 games.
...

                      VS



The Giants begin a big series with their rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers. They will look to carry on their good vibes from the Milwaukee series into Chavez Ravine.

The Giants' Barry Zito (1-0, 1.76) will take on the Dodgers' Ted Lilly (3-0, 1.38). Both pitchers have been effective so far in 2012, so this game should figure to be a pitcher's duel.

However, the Giants have roughed up Lilly throughout his career. Lilly has a 5.81 ERA in nine career starts against San Francisco.

The Giants seem to have the momentum going into the series. San Francisco just took two out of three against Milwaukee, while the Dodgers lost two out of three against the struggling Chicago Cubs.

The Dodgers, however, are 18-10 and four games ahead of the Giants in the National League West.

Here are a few players to watch.

From MLB.com:

• Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp is a career .426 (20-for-47) hitter against Zito, while right fielder Andre Ethier is hitting only .161 (5-for-31) against the lefty.

• Juan Uribe, who injured his left wrist sliding into home April 15, will have his wrist examined Monday, Mattingly said. Uribe hasn't started the last five games after reaggravating the injury last week in Denver.

• Buster Posey is 3-for-8 lifetime against Ted Lilly, including a double and two home runs. He has three RBIs against the Dodgers' left hander.

ESPN predicts that the Dodgers are 62 percent favorites for tonight's game. The game will start at 7:10 p.m. and will air on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

...

***Flash***

According to MLB.com, Giants' reliever Guillermo Mota has been suspended for 100 games after testing positive for clenbuterol, a performance-enhancing substance. This is a violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

The Giants have not yet announced who will replace Mota. The Giants' bullpen has already been in flux with the injuries to closer Brian Wilson and reliever Jeremy Affeldt.

...

How do you all think Mota's absence will affect the Giants' bullpen? Do you agree with ESPN's prediction, which only gave the Giants a 38 percent chance of winning tonight's game.



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Information from ESPN.com and MLB.com contributed to this article.

Images from:
By Jeffjeff08 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
By Ron Reiring on Flickr (Original version) User UCinternational (Crop) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
By User eürodäna (Original version) User StormXor (Crop) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Giants, Matt Cain Looking For Damage Control In Series Finale Versus Brewers

By Vince Cestone
@vintalkingiants

The San Francisco Giants have had a disappointing week at home so far, but they look to salvage the homestand with a win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Giants will move on to Dodger Stadium after today's series finale. They will look to gain momentum before heading off on the road to Los Angeles and Arizona.

The homestand started promising after the Giants took two out of three from the division-rival San Diego Padres, but were promptly swept by the Miami Marlins. The Giants split the first two with the Brewers and look to take the weekend series with Matt Cain (1-2, 2.35) on the hill against Shaun Marcum (1-1, 3.19).

The Giants won yesterday on a spectacular pitching performance by Madison Bumgarner, combined with a little bit of offense.

Bumgarner went seven innings, allowing six hits and one run, while striking out five Brewers. Bumgarner lowered his ERA to just 2.31 after his stellar outing.

While its pitching and offense clicked on Saturday, San Francisco's defense remained erratic. The Giants made yet another miscue yesterday, bringing their season total to a National League-worst 29 errors.

The error was a miscommunication between left and center fielders Brett Pill and Angel Pagan. As a fly ball hit by Aramis Ramirez in the top of the sixth inning approached in between Pagan and Pill, both called for it, but the ball dropped in between the two outfielders.

Ramirez ended up on second base on the play, but Bumgarner was able to wiggle his way out of trouble unscored upon.

Despite the defensive woes, San Francisco's offense showed promise Saturday, especially against the Brewers' Randy Wolf, who has historically shut down the Giants at AT&T Park.

Buster Posey and Hector Sanchez each went 2-for-4 with an RBI Saturday. Sanchez hit two doubles off the wall to the opposite field, where one started a rally and the other drove in a run.

Starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner sparked the offense himself Saturday with an RBI double down the left-field line that tied the game at one.

Angel Pagan extended his hitting streak to 19 games with an infield single in the bottom of the third inning. This is the longest current hitting streak in baseball.

...

For me, the most salient problem for the Giants has been their defense. They just cannot win by making the most errors in the league, not with this offense--not with any offense.

The mistakes will and have come back to bite this light-hitting team. This could cost the Giants a playoff berth, even with the extra playoff spot in the Wild Card this year.

Simply put, the Giants must tighten up their game--in all facets.

...

What do you think has been the most glaring problem for San Francisco?

...

Another note...Giants' broadcaster Dave Fleming did the FOX Saturday Baseball broadcast of yesterday's Giants versus Brewers game. It was really a breadth of fresh air to hear someone who knew what they were talking about on national television.

Hopefully, FOX continues to use Fleming (and perhaps Fleming's colleagues Jon Miller, Mike Krukow, and Duane Kuiper) for its baseball game of the week broadcasts.



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Information from ESPN.com contributed to this article.

Image from: By Ed Bierman on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

San Francisco Giants vs. Miami Marlins Weather Report

By Vince Cestone (with help from NBC Bay Area's Christina Loren)
Twitter @vintalkingiants

The San Francisco Giants will try to have a better forecast tonight, as they take on the Miami Marlins for the second straight night.

The game-time temperature will be a cool, crisp 53 degrees with a 12 mph west wind blowing straight towards center field. This means the ball will carry out towards the 399 marker in dead center, so the home run ball could be a factor tonight.

The temperature will remain relatively stable throughout the night, and the conditions will be cloudy. It will be another beautiful night in the city by the bay.

Will the game result for San Francisco be as beautiful as tonight's weather will be?



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Information from Daily Baseball Data contributed to this article.

Image: AT&T Park: By Bspangenberg (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons