What's Wrong with Timmy? Tim Lincecum Loses Sixth Game in a Row: Why, How, and What Can Be Done?

By Vince Cestone

Twitter @vintalkingiants

Tim Lincecum is in dire straits.

For the ninth consecutive game, the Giants lost on a Lincecum start. Overall, he is 2-8, with a 6.19 ERA in 2012.

And every start seems to be the same story.

A typical 2012 Lincecum start goes something like this.

He looks dominant for the first three innings, untouchable like the old "Big-Time Timmy Jim." It is not uncommon to see him have six or more strikeouts in these early innings.

Then, around the fourth inning, a few line-drive singles here, a few infield hits here, and finally, a big extra-base hit caps off a four-run inning.

The deficit by the middle innings is usually too insurmountable for a Giants' comeback.

Lincecum followed the same pattern in his most recent start against the Seattle Mariners. His line looked like this:

5 IP, 5 ER, 2 HR, 6 SO, 2 BB, 5 hits.

Not a quality start by any stretch of the imagination. He squandered a 4-2 lead and took his eighth loss of the season (and we are just in mid-June).

Should San Francisco Giants' fans be worried about their two-time Cy Young Award Winner? You bet.

Fortunately for Lincecum, his recent struggles appear not to be for lack of stuff. No, no--it's a much bigger problem.

Lincecum has a strong 83/41 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 77 innings pitched. His fastball velocity cruised between 91-93 mph against the Mariners Saturday, and his offspeed pitches--changeup, slider, curveball--had exceptional movement.

Despite all the troubles, Lincecum is still striking out more than one batter per inning. Then, what's the problem?

Simple--it's the command.

Lincecum not only has trouble getting just one pitch over the plate. He is wild with all of his pitches.

At one moment (most of the time), it is his fastball that he cannot get over the plate. Other times, it is his devastating changeup that he cannot seem to locate quite right--he either leaves it up or bounces it two feet ahead of the plate.

The command and control is just not there. The result? Well, the hitter is greatly advantaged

Here's how.

The hitter can guess what is coming and lick his chops.

If Lincecum's fastball is not finding the strike zone, a hitter can easily sit on offspeed pitches and simply take the fastballs. His fastball is eliminated from the hitter's mind.

I have seen many long homeruns this year on some pretty decent Lincecum changeups and sliders. In the past, even if a changeup was out over the plate, hitters would still be fooled by the speed and still swing and miss.

That was because Lincecum had a more accurate fastball for hitters to think about, so they were badly fooled when a changeup came along, making it much harder to guess the pitch.

Today, however, batters can expect a changeup or slider, wait back on it, and hit it hard somewhere.

Lincecum has his amazing stuff still, as he has shown start-after-start. However, stuff is half the battle.

The other half is command. Without command, a pitcher is merely a thrower.

The Giants should definitely skip Lincecum's next start--maybe the next two. How will it help?

One, Lincecum can think things over and clear his mind. A $20-million pitcher has a lot on his plate--and a lot of hype to live up to.

Secondly, it will give him more time to tweak his mechanics. Perhaps he and pitching coach Dave Righetti can find something to get him going again.

It worked for Jonathan Sanchez in 2009. After he was moved to the bullpen, he went on and threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on the first day he returned to the rotation--on a spot start for the injured Randy Johnson.

My thoughts: Give Timmy some time to think it over. He is a great pitcher, but lacks the command.

Even though Lincecum appears to have it in there somewhere, if he cannot regain that command, his career will be cut short.

Still in denial about the seriousness of Lincecum's struggles?

Consider this: The Giants would have the best record in baseball if they won just half of Lincecum's starts.

If San Francisco went just 7-7 in his starts, the Giants would be 43-26. The Dodgers currently own the best record in baseball at 42-26.

The Giants are 2-12 this year in Lincecum's starts.

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Information from ESPN.com contributed to this article. 

Image Attribution: By SD Dirk on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "Tim Lincecum") [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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 versus Philadelphia Phillies Weather Report (With Help from NBC Bay Area Meteorologist Christina Loren)

By Vince Cestone
Twitter @vintalkingiants

NBC Bay Area/Christina Loren

NBC Bay Area Meteorologist Christina Loren predicts that the ball will carry to center field tonight, with a slight push towards McCovey Cove.

The game-time temperature for tonight's 7:15 p.m. start at AT&T Park will be 56 degrees, with a 21 mph west- northwest wind. The conditions will be cloudy, with just a 10 percent chance of precipitation.

At around 9 p.m., winds will push a little more toward McCovey Cove, so if it is a tight one going in to the late innings, a big home run could be in the forecast.

Swing that power stick tonight Nate the Great!

Stay tuned...

...

How do you think the weather will affect the ball game tonight?



Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants

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

Christina Loren and DailyBaseballData.com contributed to this story.
 

San Francisco Giants Look to Rebound in Pitching Matchup for the Ages; Wilson May Not be Done in 2012 Just Yet

                        VS     

By Vince Cestone
Twitter @vintalkingiants
 
It just doesn't get any better than this.

Tim Lincecum will face the Philadelphia Phillies' Roy Hallady in a battle of aces in tonight's contest at AT&T Park.

The San Francisco Giants saw their three-game winning streak end after the Pittsburgh Pirates' hurler Kevin Correia shut the Giants down to one run in six innings. Lincecum will look to get the Giants back on track.

In order to put the Giants in the win column, Lincecum must improve upon his previous two starts. His last outing in Colorado was his worst start of his career.

At Coors Field, Lincecum pitched just 2.1 innings, giving up six earned runs on eight hits. His ERA is up to 12.91 in two starts this season.

It is truly the tale of two aces.

Halladay, on the other hand, is picking up from where he left off last season. In his two starts in 2012, Halladay (2-0) has a 0.60 ERA, including eight innings of shutout ball against the Pirates on Opening Day.

Lincecum will look to rebound against one of the greatest pitchers in the National League in a possible playoff preview.

Here is tonight's lineup...

CF Pagan, RF Melky, 3B Sandoval, C Posey, LF Huff, 1B Belt, SS Crawford, 2B Burriss, P Lincecum  

The Giants will look to get back to .500 tonight at home.

...

My Quick Thoughts:

I think Lincecum turns it around tonight. You do not win two Cy Young Awards for nothing.

He knows he is one of the best pitchers in the game, and I think he will put it all together. Just when you doubt him, he goes and throws a gem.

Yeah, he has that kind of arm. He is the type of pitcher that does not need his best stuff to succeed--this separates a thrower from a pitcher.

I have a good feeling Lincecum was not happy with his last two outings. He comes across as a hard worker and a fierce competitor, so I predict at least a quality start tonight.

But who knows in the game of baseball? Anything can happen.

As for Wilson, don't give up on him just yet. Just when you think he's going in one path, he throws a curveball and shocks everyone.

We will see. Will this be the last we see of the bearded one?

Brian Wilson has a "moderate" sprain of UCL ligament, according to Comcast SportsNet Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly.

Giants' trainer Dave Groescher told Baggarly Wilson does not have a full ligament tear. Many pitchers have opted to rehab from this instead of have Tommy John surgery.

Wilson will travel to Florida for a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday. The Giants and Wilson will determine their course of treatment by the end of the week.

Baggarly also poses the possibility that the Giants and Wilson might come up with something that has never been done before. Wilson is still expected to "get a new arm" via surgery, but the possibility does exist that he will rehab and return to the mound this season.

Giants fans can only hope it will be the latter case.


Information from ESPN.Com and Andrew Baggarly.

Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants

Photo Sources: 

Roy Halladay: By SD Dirk on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "D7K_4969") [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons


Tim Lincecum: By SD Dirk on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "Tim Lincecum") [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons


Brian Wilson: By Rob Shenk (Flickr: Fear the Beard) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

San Francisco Giants' AT&T Park Opening Day Weather Report

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



From a cubicle at the NBC Bay Area studios...

Photo Courtesy of Vince Cestone

Today's San Francisco Giants' opening day game against the Pittsburgh Pirates may be interrupted by a bit of rain.

Right now, it is cloudy with no rain at AT&T Park, but stray downpours are possible by the 1:35 p.m. first pitch. The opening pitch temperature will be a cool 55 degrees, with west-northwest gusts blowing out toward McCovey Cove at 15 mph, and the wind will pick up throughout the game.

Matt Cain, who will be taking on the Pirates' James McDonald, better watch out for those isolated thunderstorms, as a low pressure system heads toward San Francisco.

What does this mean?

Pablo Sandoval and Melky Cabrera should gear up because it is going to be a short porch at the 309-foot marker down the right-field line. The ballpark should play live, so fans and kayakers should gear up for the long ball.

...

Tune in to CSN Bay Area at 1:30 p.m. for the Giants versus the Pirates live from AT&T Park.

...

What do you all think of the weather conditions for today's game? Are you ready for some splash hits?



Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants

For more great weather reports, follow Christina Loren on Twitter @Christina_Loren

Giants Pummeled by Colorado Rockies 17-8

By Vince Cestone

Last night felt lots like vintage Coors Field.

The San Francisco Giants looked terrible defensively and on the mound last night against the Colorado Rockies. They committed three more errors and gave up 17 more runs.

What figured to be a strength for San Francisco has turned into an Achilles heel in the early going. The Giants are dead last in the National League in ERA with a 6.37 clip and are second in the league in errors with seven, just behind the San Diego Padres.

Pitching and defense were supposed to be the MO for the Giants, with just enough offense. It has been a 180.

The Giants have had great offense, averaging 5.8 runs per game, but very weak starting and relief pitching. San Francisco has scored at least four runs in each of their first five games but are 1-4.

Last year, the Giants dominated their opponents when scoring four or more runs.

Who would have thought this would happen?

Tim Lincecum gets knocked around and goes 2 1/3 last night (12.91 ERA), and Barry Zito throws a shutout in Colorado.

Go figure...

The Weird Gets Weirder: Buster Posey Out With Shingles

By Vince Cestone
@vintalkingiants

By Chase N. on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

San Francisco Giants' starting catcher Buster Posey is out with yet another injury.

While this ailment lacks the severity of a torn ligament, Posey was absent from Wednesday's lineup at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies due to shingles. Posey will be out of the lineup for the second straight day after taking a rest day on Tuesday.

Giants' manager Bruce Bochy said he expects Posey back in the lineup tomorrow in the series finale against the Rockies.

Information used in this article from ESPN.com

...

The Giants are currently losing 3-0 in the top of the third inning. Although, they could use Posey to mount a comeback, the lineup they trotted out there is more than capable of rallying.

San Francisco has hit rockets all game, but right at people. In the top of the third alone, Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera hit rockets, but right at infielders.

Their at bats are better too. Even Pablo Sandoval is laying off pitches outside the strike zone.

More good at bats like this, and the Giants will be just fine in this game. All you can do as a hitter is hit the ball hard...the rest, you cannot do anything about it.

Posey will be just fine. Shingles is nothing too serious--they are like adult chicken pox, as I am told by NBC Bay Area News Assignment Desk Manager John Zuchelli.

He will be in there tomorrow, so do not fear Giants fans.

...

What do you all think about the men in orange so far? Leave a comment below, as I love hearing your thoughts.


Follow me on twitter @vintalkingiants

Tim Lincecum Gives Up Two Home Runs In San Francisco Giants' Opener vs. Diamondbacks

By SD Dirk on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "Tim Lincecum") [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

All the glitz and glamor of the San Francisco Giants' Opening Day was spoiled early, as Tim Lincecum gave up two home runs in the first inning.

The Giants quickly fell behind 3-0 in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Lincecum gave up a two-run homer to Chris Young after Willie Bloomquist singled, and then proceeded to give up a solo-home run to Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt is 5-for-9 against Lincecum, with three home runs.

This is the first time Lincecum has given up a home run on an Opening Day start.
...

Lincecum's fastball looked flat in the first inning. He had a hard time controlling it, along with his changeup and curveball.

The inning could have gone a lot worse. Lincecum was throwing pitch after pitch up in the strike zone, and he is lucky more of those were not crushed.

Still, it was one inning. Lincecum appeared to have settled down in the second inning, and if he could throw some more zeros, the Giants have an opportunity to creep back into the game.

It's still early...

...

What do you guys think of the game so far?

Source - NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit/Tony Kovaleski: Has Fan Violence Plagued Sporting Events?

By Vince Cestone

It sickens me to have to pose this question, but unfortunately, recent events have shown going to a sporting event is no longer a safe thing to do.

I know because I helped compile the data illustrated in the investigative report shown below (click on the video to play it). Tony Kovaleski, with the help of Liz Wagner and Felipe Escamilla, reported on this very unfortunate issue in the package, which aired on NBC Bay Area last Friday.

Here are some key statistics/information reported by Kovaleski in this article (with contribution from yours truly).

•  "I was punched repeatedly by three distinct individuals," said 66-year-old Los Gatos resident Manuel Austin Jr. He was at Candlestick Park for the 49ers/Steelers game in December (his first game in seven years).
• "According to data from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, at the Oakland Coliseum last season fans at Raiders games received 87 police citations. There were 144 arrests and 448 ejections."
• The most violent game at Candlestick Park last season was that Steelers game mentioned above. There were 38 fights and 57 ejections.

And for those of you who think the San Francisco Giants' AT&T Park is a family-friendly baseball sanctuary where "It's Magic Inside" or kids can freely "Say Hey, Come Out and Play," think again.

• Police records show in 2011, there were three assaults, 124 fans booked, and 559 ejections at AT&T Park (don't interfere with the balls that come down the line!)
•  Giants/Dodgers games show 26 arrests and 113 ejections, more than any other opposing team (no surprise)
• Friday nights produce more fan-related problems than any other day of the week (maybe CalTrain's allowance of alcohol has something to do with this?)

The article also suggests that alcohol may be one of the key factors leading to fan violence.

“What normally leads to trouble is someone who has too much alcohol because it inhibits their ability to make proper decisions,” Lt. Bill Roualdes of the San Francisco Police Department told NBC Bay Area. He monitors incident reports at the Giants games.

...


I hate to say it, but when you're at any sporting event, you need to be on your best behavior. If you do anything to upset another fan, you could be a victim just like Manuel Austin Jr. (even if it seems like harmless bickering, just ask Bryan Stowe).

Anybody who has the audacity to repeatedly hit a 66-year-old elderly man should be locked up for a long time. Interestingly, the men who beat up Austin only received misdemeanor citations, NBC Bay Area reported.

If you're feeling anxiety about going to see your favorite team, relax. Most likely, nothing is going to happen if you mind your manners and don't provoke other fans.

You can also diminish your chances of getting hurt at a stadium by going to the game on a Sunday or Saturday day game (from my experience).

I can only speak for Giants games, but the bottom line is this. If you want to decrease fan violence or rowdiness, limit the amount of alcohol a fan can consume. This means banning alcohol on CalTrain at all times, or sigh, banning alcohol at all sporting events.

Otherwise, I believe, fan violence is inevitable. Alcohol is powerful, and once it gets into a fan's system, there's little anyone can do to stop fans from acting out.

Still, AT&T Park is generally a safe place to go. Just be careful on a Friday night versus the Dodgers. Beat LA!

Here's the package from the NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit. Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski reports. Watch first, then I will pose some questions. Then, you can comment.

View more videos at: http://nbcbayarea.com.

Has stadium violence gone too far? Are you afraid to go to a sporting event? Are you afraid to go to certain sporting events as opposed to others (an NFL game versus a MLB game)?

Were Manual Austin Jr.'s attackers punished enough for what they did?

What should stadium security do to take corrective action? Is there anything they can do, is violence inevitable at stadium?

Lastly, on the flip side, does anyone think these statistics are overblown or misrepresented? Should stadium security be more lax like it was 25 years ago where fans could run on the field after their team wins a big game? Will stadium violence be the same or good down even with looser stadium security?

We may never know the answers to some of these questions, but we can always talk about them.




Have a story idea NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit should take a look at? E-mail my blog mailbag at vince.cestone@yahoo.com or contact the unit at theunit@nbcbayarea.com

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Angel Villalona expected to be in spring training (From FeedCrossing.com)

By Troy Nelson

Angel Villalona, the 21-year old phenom who made headlines when he was arrested on murder charges in 2009, will be in camp when the Giants begin preparing for Cactus League action in Scottsdale, Ariz. next month.

According to Bobby Evans, the Giants’ VP of baseball operations, Villalona is still working on getting his U.S. work visa approved but doesn’t anticipate any problems.

Villalona was signed by the Giants for $2.1 million when he was just 16 years old, but fell into trouble in his home land of the Dominican Republic when he was charged with the Sept. 19, 2009 murder of a bar patron in La Romana.

Those charges were dropped when the victim’s family asked the judge to drop the case. (Translation: somebody got bribed.)

Villalona lost over two years of development time because of the legal issues, but the Giants believe he still has the talent to become a major league player someday and placed him on their 40-man roster back in December.

Be sure to check out other great articles at 22Gigantes.

Giants, Schierholtz avoid arbitration; Lincecum submits record bid (From FeedCrossing.com)

By Troy Nelson

The Giants’ list of arbitration-eligible players is now down to three.

San Francisco avoided arbitration with right fielder Nate Schierholtz today as the two sides agreed on a one-year, $1.3 million dollar contract that includes a $150,000 performance-incentive bonus, per Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.

Schierholtz, who turns 28 on Feb. 15, batted .278/.326/.430 (0.756 OPS) with 9 HR and 41 RBI in 362 plate appearances last season for the G-men. He earned $433,000 in 2011.

Tim Lincecum, Pablo Sandoval and Sergio Romo still remain eligible for arbitration after all players and teams submitted their figures today.

According to Jon Heyman at CBS Sports, Lincecum submitted a record arbitration figure (for players with six or fewer years of service) of $21.5 million dollars (besting Derek Jeter‘s 2001 bid of $18.5 million dollars) and the Giants submitted a $17 million dollar contract offer. That makes the midway point $19.25 million, which is where the two sides will start to negotiate.

If an agreement can’t be reached, the case will go to arbitration. Hearings are set to begin Feb. 1st in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Be sure to check out other great articles at 22Gigantes.

SF Giants: 5 Things GM Brian Sabean Should Have Done Differently This Offseason So Far

General Manager Brian Sabean will most likely be busy this offseason, as his team will try to reach the playoffs in 2012.
Jeff Gross/Getty Images

San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean appeared to be a baseball ring leader in 2010, after arranging his band of misfits to a World Series title. But 2011 was not as melodic for the longest-tenured GM in baseball.

For at least one season, Giants fans seemed to forget the A.J. Pierzynski for Francisco Liriano deal or the Aaron Rowand debacle. Not to mention his failure to land a big bat, as he tried with "due diligence" to land some pop in San Francisco.

At least in 2010, Sabean's choice to see what players had left instead of what players had actually paid dividends that magical year. Sabean and the Giants decided to bring back many of the 2010 players this past year, but it had produced a torturous 2011—and not the sweet torture of 2010.

If the Giants want 2012 to replicate 2010, Sabean must go back to the drawing board to bolster their struggling offense, which ranks last in the National League in runs scored with 483. Now that Sabean appears to be done making any more moves to improve the club, it appears not much will be done to enhance the club offensively in the next three months.

Here are 10 things Sabean should have done differently this offseason if the Giants wanted to make a serious run in 2012.

1. Get an Adequate Major League Shortstop

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The Giants hoped to catch lightening in a bottle in replacing Juan Uribe by signing the over-the-hill veteran and former superstar Miguel Tejada.

The Giants expected Tejada, 36 at the time, to be their starting shortstop, but it did not pan out the way the Giants hoped. In 2011, Tejada played in just 91 games due to poor performance and injury, hitting just .239 with an on-base percentage of .270.

Tejada was the least of their problems offensively at shortstop.

San Francisco tried to compensate Tejada's disappointing season by trying other options. Rookie Brandon Crawford, along with the signing of Orlando Cabrera, were attempts to patch up the position. But the lone bright spot would be Crawford's defense—but still not a lot of offense.

Giants shortstops ended 2011 by hitting .210, with seven home runs and 57 RBIs, the least offensively productive team in the National League. If the Giants want to retake the NL West Crown, and eventually win the World Series, they will need to address this position both offensively and defensively.

On the defensive, Giants shortstops were sub-par compared to last year's championship team. In 2010, Giants shortstops committed just 11 errors—first in the National League—while the 2011 team committed 25 errors.

The Giants will need to get an adequate shortstop to complement Freddy Sanchez up the middle. Free agents Jose Reyes, 2010 NL batting champion, and Jimmy Rollins were certainly viable options, but at what price?

According to MLB.com, it was a price that was obviously too high for the Giants, who have said they have maximized their $130 million payroll and are done making significant moves this offseason.

2. Sign a Potent Backup Catcher

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

A fitting name for the 2011 Chris Stewart and Eli Whiteside is Mr. Automatic.

No, they are not called Mr. Automatic because they are on-base machines or skilled marksmen at throwing out would-be base stealers. They earned their title from a much-more negative quality—they make automatic outs.

The Giants cannot afford to have another catcher besides Buster Posey hit as poor as the 2011 fill-in catchers did in the absence of Posey. The two primary backups, Stewart and Whiteside, combined to hit .201, with seven home runs, 27 RBI and a .274 on-base percentage.

As Posey recovers from his season-ending injury in late May, there is no guarantee he will be able to play a full season's worth of games. For a team that was last in runs scored in 2011, an automatic out at the catcher's position could prove costly.

Since a backup catcher could take on a bit more prominent role in 2012, the Giants will need to find someone who is not a total loss at the plate. Among some of the free agent backup backstops who could have helped the Giants were Dioner Navarro, Ronny Paulino or Matt Treanor.

The Giants also have catching prospect Hector Sanchez, but it is apparent that he needs a bit more seasoning before catching in the major leagues.

If Sabean wants to avoid offensive embarrassment again in 2012, he might want to look at improving their statistically weakest link on the roster. 

3. Get That Big Bat

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Since the end of the Barry Bonds era, Giants fans have kept asking the same question year after year—when is that big bat coming?

Four years later, no big bat has replaced Bonds' presence in the Giants' mostly sub-par lineups. But they were able to stay competitive through their pitching in three of those years, including a World Series championship.

If the Giants wanted to put themselves over the top and establish themselves as a dynasty, a big bat like Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols could have been the way to do it. Although signing any of these two free agent sluggers was highly unlikely, at least a middle of the order hitter, such as a Carlos Beltran, is a necessity.

The Giants may have gotten away with it with 2010's World Series victory, but San Francisco can make it much easier on themselves, and their pitchers, by putting up more runs on the board. If they cannot establish some fear in their lineup, the Giants will have to catch lightening in a bottle again to win in 2012.

The Giants' window with their extraordinary pitching staff is running thinner and thinner. Without at least an average offense, many more seasons of fabulous pitching could be all for not.


4. Avoid the Leadoff Limbo: Get a Leadoff Hitter

Jeff Curry/Getty Images

The Giants seem to be content with newly acquired Angel Pagan or Melky Cabrera as their leadoff hitter, which probably means more of the same leadoff limbo in 2012.

Last year, San Francisco's No. 1 hitters combined to hit .232 with an on-base percentage of just .292. If the Giants wish to compete without acquiring that big bat, this statistic simply must improve to respectability.

Nor Cabrera or Pagan are big prototypical leadoff on-base hitters, but they both have good speed. Cabrera had an OBP of .339 with 20 stolen bases, and Pagan had an OBP of .322 with 32 stolen bases.

While both are an improvement over Andres Torres' (now a New York Met) .312 OBP, the Giants could have benefited more from someone like Jose Reyes, who had a .384 OBP just a season ago.

Although the Giants slightly improved in the leadoff spot, fans will have to wait and see if the leadoff shuffle will continue, or hopefully, one candidate will solidify their territory in the No. 1-hole like Torres did two seasons ago.

5. Lock Up Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum 

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Giants won the World Series in 2010 largely—if not solely—because of their world-class pitching staff, and they would be well served to lock up both their franchise pitchers sooner rather than later.

San Francisco has not had anything but a mediocre offense for almost a decade, and that probably will not change for the foreseeable future. If the Giants expect to win it all again with middle-of-the-road offenses, they need to lead the league in pitching and defense—and that may not even be enough.

Another year of not signing either to long term contracts, combined with another dozen 2-1 losses for each, will probably further their desire to test the free-agent market after their contracts are up. They will likely demand even more money to stay put in San Francisco, and the Giants certainly would fold if the price for either was too high.

Losing two franchise pitchers plus a mediocre offense would brew up a formula for a 100-loss season after both pitchers' contracts expire in a couple of years. The Giants would have to rebuild from scratch or open their wallets—things the Giants do not appear to be very good at. 

This article was featured on The Bleacher Report.

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