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.
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                      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.

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***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

MLB Free Agents: Which Impending Giants' Free Agents Will They Re-Sign?

By Vince Cestone

 

Carlos Beltran is batting .244, with zero home runs and two RBI, in 11 games with the Giants. 

Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

The San Francisco Giants will have nine big questions to answer once the 2011 season ends.

Nine men off their 2011 roster will hit free agency this winter, and the Giants will more than likely bid farewell to most of them—especially the aging veterans. Such company might include injury-prone players such as Mark DeRosa, Pat Burrell, and Carlos Beltran.

Beltran, essentially a two-month rental, was the Giants' answer to their offensive enigma that ranks dead last in the National League in runs scored. Unfortunately for San Francisco, Beltran has been an unfortunate enigma himself.

The slugging outfielder was placed on the 15-day disabled list last Tuesday with a wrist injury and has hit just .244, with no home runs and two RBI in 11 games with the Giants. Due to his frequent stints on the disabled list and his gargantuan upcoming contract standard of Scott Boras clients, the Giants will more than likely seek other offensive outfield options in 2012.

On the flip side, here are five impending free agents the Giants have a chance of re-signing this winter.

1. Cody Ross

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

 

The 2010 NLCS MVP would love to rejoin San Francisco in 2012, and the Giants' feeling seems to be mutual.

According to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, Ross talked to Giants' officials during spring training about a possible contract extension.

While he is intrigued with testing free agency, Ross told Baggarly he would prefer to stay in San Francisco.

“I've let them know that's what I want,” Ross said. “Free agency would be cool to experience, but I know what this team is about and where it's going. We have a great thing here, and I want to stay.”

Baggarly also reported that the Giants will revisit extension talks later in the season.

Ross would be an excellent backup outfielder or possibly a starter, depending on who the Giants sign this offseason. While he is streaky at the plate, he has shown he can get a big hit, play all three outfield positions, and has a decent glove.

Plus, the Giants would probably love to keep those "Ross is Boss" shirts selling at AT&T Park.

2. Javier Lopez

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

 

While no recent news has indicated the Giants will resign Javier Lopez, the Giants would probably welcome the chance of bringing their crafty lefty back.

The Giants' strength for the last couple of years has been their bullpen. This year is no exception.

San Francisco leads the National League in bullpen ERA at 2.93.

Lopez has contributed to the Giants' elite bullpen staff with a 2.49 clip this season. He has struck out 37 batters in 47 innings pitched, while walking 24.

If the Giants want to be successful in an age where pitching dominates, combined with their hitting woes, they should maintain their strength and keep their dominant left-hander.

3. Guillermo Mota

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

 

He is big, bad, reliable, a bullpen saver, and can even hit a little bit.

While he lacks the glitz and glamor of a Brian Wilson or Tim Lincecum, Guillermo Mota has been indispensable to the Giants in 2011. The quality innings he has been able to throw at age 38 has been remarkable.

Age has not compromised Mota's snap on his pitches either—in fact, Mota has been throwing with more pop. This season, Mota has a 3.92 ERA, but has pitched 61.2 innings in 40 appearances, with 58 strikeouts and just 20 walks.

During the course of a 162-game marathon season, a solid long reliever could be invaluable to a team. Although Mota's upper-90s days are past him, he could find a role in San Francisco next season as the league's best mop-up man.

4. Orlando Cabrera

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

 

With the Giants looking at Brandon Crawford as their shortstop of the future, they may want a veteran right-handed backup with playoff experience off their bench.

Orlando Cabrera, while not lighting it up with his .240 batting average this season, can be a valuable asset to any club making a postseason run. Cabrera has reached the postseason six out of the last seven years, including a World Series Championship ring with the Boston Red Sox in 2004.

Although he is more suited for a bench role at this stage of his career, injuries and necessity have forced Cabrera into a starting position at shortstop.

While his .228 career postseason batting average seems unimpressive, Cabrera is still capable of getting a big hit off the bench. He has a .417 batting average in 12 at-bats with the bases loaded this season.

As Giants' broadcaster Mike Krukow said of Cabrera: The bigger the at-bat, the more dangerous he is.

5. Ryan Vogelsong

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

 

Just one year ago, Ryan Vogelsong thought he would never toe the rubber on a major league mound again.
A year later, he is an All-Star and second in the National League in ERA.

The Giants did not envision Vogelsong anchoring their pitching staff which contains the likes of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. However, destiny had other plans.

Now that the Giants traded away top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler to the Mets, their pitching depth has plummeted, but Vogelsong alleviated what could have been a disastrous situation starting-pitching wise for San Francisco. Vogelsong's contributions should be highlighted even more so with the struggles of Jonathan Sanchez and Barry Zito.

Simply put, without Ryan Vogelsong, the Giants might not be in the position they are in now. Arguably the ace of the Giants' 2011 starting staff, his 10-2 record is a major reason why they are just 2.5 games behind Arizona in the National League West.

While there is no recent news regarding Vogelsong's status with the Giants in 2012, they may want to lock him up for next season if they want to keep a solid staff 1-5.

It also could be that with all the misfortunes plaguing the 2011 Giants, Vogelsong could be the man keeping them going, giving them hope to finish the season strong and showing them that anything is possible in baseball.




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San Francisco Giants Re-sign Guillermo Mota, 2011 Season Thoughts

The Giants have agreed to re-sign hard-throwing righty Guillermo Mota to a minor-league contract. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays were reportedly going after Mota, but he decided to ultimately return to the world champion San Francisco Giants.

The 37-year-old Mota posted a 4.33 ERA in 56 games with San Francisco, including 2.1 scoreless innings in the postseason. Even during the playoffs, Mota had a mid-90's fastball.

Mota was serviceable out of the bullpen in 2010. When Brian Wilson was unavailable to close, Mota stepped up and got the job done. One of his notable outings was a dominant win out of the bullpen against the Dodgers when Brian Wilson was unable to pitch the ninth. Highlights from that outing can be found here

This is a good deal. You get an experienced veteran out of the bullpen for virtually minimum salary. He can come through nicely in a mop-up roll or can even fill a more important gap if a setup man or closer got hurt. Let's just hope he doesn't face Juan Uribe too much if he indeed makes the big club.

Most importantly, he does not walk people, which is a recipe for success out of the bullpen.

Although I'm all for bringing back as much as the 2010 championship team as possible, the Giants need to get some youth, speed, and energy into the lineup. Cody Ross provided a little bit of that at the end of the season, but the Giants can still upgrade at left field and third base, granted Sandoval doesn't lose weight. Pat Burrell, who played the bulk of the time in left field, is a good player and can contribute, but his inability to put the bat on the ball in the World Series was worrisome.

As for Edgar Renteria, I think it is fine to bring him back as a back-up infielder, but for no more than the $1 million they offered. He, like Mota, can fill a hole if say Freddy Sanchez or Miguel Tejada were lost to injury. He can be a short-term solution, since he is streaky, but is not ideal for a starting role. Still, he has a flare for the clutch as shown by the World Series, and his game-tying home run during the home opener. Despite him feeling disrespected about the Giants' contract offer, Renteria needs to realize the Giants did anything but that, considering they were the only team thus far to offer him a major league contract.

What do you guys think the Giants should do to improve their team for 2011? Please leave a comment below. I am curious to hear your thoughts.

Photo courtesy of Anthony Zappia

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