@vintalkingiants
 |
| 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 baseball is starting to feel like Giants baseball.
Matt Cain took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, only to be broken up by Pittsburgh Pirates' pitcher James McDonald. However, he completed the San Francisco Giants' second complete-game shutout of the season.
Cain also had the strkeout ball going in Friday's Giants' home opener at AT&T Park. Cain amassed 11 strikeouts, while walking none.
The Giants offense scored plenty for Matt Cain in San Francisco's 5-0 victory.
San Francisco has scored at least four runs in each of their first seven games, the first time they have done so since 2003 when they began that year 7-0.
Contrary to what one might expect, the Giants are 3-4, even with the much-improved offense.
The Giants jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Melky Cabrera, who went 2-for-3 with a walk, scored on a Buster Posey double to deep center. Aubrey Huff followed with a two-out single.
Huff later homered in the eighth inning, a two-run homer that made the score 5-0 San Francisco.
The Giants tacked on their third run in the sixth inning on a bloop single by Nate Schierholtz.
The Giants are currently second in the National League in runs scored with 33, just behind the St. Louis Cardinals who have 37.
The Pirates are going in the opposite direction. Since taking 2-out-of-3 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh has lost four in a row and are dead last in the league in runs scored with 11.
A little home cooking seemed to do the Giants good.
...
Who would have thought the 2012 Giants would put up their best all-around offensive output since 2003? I say all-around because even their outs are loud.
I have not seen so many line drives off San Francisco bats since the steroid era. If you're a Giants fan, this is a great sign.
The most salient weakness on this team was supposed to be the offense. That was to be the X factor.
Surprisingly, the run support has been there, but for the most part, the starting pitching has not. It must be a relief to see Matt Cain dominate again after his rough outing in Arizona.
It's been a tale of two pitching staffs. You got Tim Lincecum who cannot get the ball over the plate, and you got Barry Zito throwing complete-game shutouts.
Cain, Zito, and Bumgarner have rebounded nicely. The X factor here is Lincecum.
We will see how he does against Roy Halladay next week when they go head-to-head at AT&T Park. It is time to see if Lincecum is really the ace the Giants thought he would be--and if he is worth the next big contract.
...
What do you all think?
Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants
No comments:
Post a Comment