Giants Look to Salvage a Game, Stay in First Place in Series Finale Against Dodgers

By Vince Cestone
@vintalkingiants






                              VS

The San Francisco Giants sit atop the National League West with a slim one-game lead, but the Los Angeles Dodgers and their new shortstop Hanley Ramirez have plans to share the top spot.

The Dodgers bolstered their lineup by acquiring Ramirez from the Miami Marlins in exchange for pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and a minor leaguer. Although Ramirez is batting just .252 for the season, he has 15 home runs and is 6-for-16 with the Dodgers.

In his first at-bat with Los Angeles against the St. Louis Cardinals, Ramirez tripled and then came in to score. He proceeded to hit a game-winning home run for the Dodgers on a hanging slider from Sergio Romo in the 10th of inning of Friday night's game against the Giants.

So far, the Giants have countered by acquiring Marco Scutaro,who will play third base in the absence of Pablo Sandoval, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with a hamstring strain. Scutaro is batting .271, with four home runs and 30 RBIs.

Although the Giants may be short-handed, San Francisco will send Ryan Vogelsong against the retooled Dodgers in the series finale. Vogelsong (8-4, 2.26 ERA) is 2-0 against the Dodgers this year with an 0.63 ERA.

In order to avoid the sweep at the hands of their rivals, the Giants will have to be on top of their game. The Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw (7-6, 3.14 ERA) will face off against San Francisco for the third time this season.

Vogelsong beat Kershaw twice this season by scores of 2-1 and 2-0.

The Giants lost Game 1 in the 10th inning on Ramirez's home run, after they tied the game in the eighth on a Brandon Belt two-run single. Los Angeles routed Barry Zito and the Giants 10-0 in Game 2, thanks to seven combined RBIs from Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez.

Matt Cain received a no-decision in Game 1.

Too much great pitching from Chad Billingsley and too little hitting doomed the Giants.

San Francisco has still been hot since the All-Star break. They have gone 9-5 to start the second half, including a strong 4-2 East Coast road trip.

Here are some more news and notes about tonight's rivalry game.

• The Giants outscored the Dodgers 13-0 in their three-game sweep of  Los Angeles June 25-27 at AT&T Park.
• The Giants are 4-4 against the Dodgers this season.
• ESPN predicts the Giants will have a 45% chance of beating the Dodgers today.
• The Dodgers are 2-2 since acquiring Ramirez.
• The Dodgers have not shutout the Giants by this large of a margin since 1997, where they beat them 11-0.
• Kershaw's career ERA against the Giants is 1.45, the lowest all-time--over a minimum of 50 innings.

Weather Report:

The game-time temperature will be a cool 61 degrees. An 11-mph  west-northwest wind will carry the ball to slightly right of center, a spot Dodgers' slugger Matt Kemp loves to take the ball.

Who's Hot:

• Melky Cabrera: 30-for-79, .380, 3 HR, 13 RBI, .414 on-base percentage.

Who's Not:

•  Brandon Belt: 10-for-58, .172, 4 RBI, 25 strikeouts, .258 OBP, .207 slugging percentage, .465 OPS.

 ...

The Giants have been playing good baseball since the break. Although the Dodgers took the first two games of the series, the Giants can still escape with a two-game lead in the NL West by winning one-out-of-three.

Even if the worst happens and the Dodgers sweep, the Giants will still be percentage points ahead of the Dodgers, but if the Giants can continue to pitch well at home and get just enough offense, they should have a great chance of winning today's game.

Of course, they will need to catch the ball too. Shortstop Brandon Crawford committed one miscue in the game yesterday, and Melky Cabrera failed to hit the cutoff man on a play at the plate.

San Francisco must also improve on their situational hitting. Both in the second and fifth innings, the Giants had a runner at second with nobody out, but failed to move the runner over or get him in.

With the Giants needing to play scrappy, especially with Sandoval out of the lineup, they cannot fail in those productive-out situations if they expect to win ball games. Once again, the Giants were plagued with their overaggressiveness with runners on base.

Still, the Giants are in first place by one game. They must realize that the pressure is on the Dodgers--not them--so it is their job to stay loose and look like the team ahead in the standings.



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Information from ESPN.com contributed to this article.

Check out my NBCBayArea.com article on the San Jose Giants' Joe Panik.

Giants Look to Even Up Series Against Reds in Game 4 Behind Ryan Vogelsong

 VS

By Vince Cestone
@vintalkingiants

Pitching has dominated the first three games of the series, but it did not all come from the San Francisco Giants.

The slugging Cincinnati Reds added another dimension to their recipe for success in 2012. Their pitching has drastically improved, as they are fourth in the National League in ERA at 3.47.

Cincinnati's bullpen, anchored by the flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman, has become automatic. Reds' relievers have a 2.67 ERA this season, good for first in the National League.

This is why the Reds are in first place in the NL Central by one game over the Pittsburgh Pirates (Pirates are 42-35 if you can believe it).

The Reds are also second in the league in fewest errors, committing just 40. Strong pitching and defense has been a 2012 theme in Cincinnati.

Pitching, defense, and just enough hitting (Reds are eighth in the league in runs scored) is a great recipe for success, especially in the National League.

In this series, the Reds have beaten the Giants at their own game.

Game 1 featured a masterful pitching performance by Madison Bumgarner. In his effort, Bumgarner threw his first career complete-game shutout against the Reds, a team he has struggled against throughout his career (0-2, 8.56 versus Reds coming into the game).

In Game 2, the Reds showed why they were a first-place team. Mike Leake threw a complete-game of his own, but not a shutout thanks to Pablo Sandoval's ninth-inning solo homerun.

Leake beat Matt Cain, who has seemed more hittable after his perfect game. In his 18 and 2/3 innings pitched after the perfect game, Cain has given up 9 earned runs.

Giants' nemesis Mat Latos shut down San Francisco in Game 3 of the series. In his nine-inning effort, Latos struck out seven Giants and allowed just one earned run on two hits.

In three consecutive games, a Giants or Reds pitcher threw a complete game. Also, for the second straight game, the Giants scored a lone ninth-inning run to break up a complete-game shutout (courtesy of a Brandon Belt triple, followed by a run-scoring groundout).

Barry Zito pitched well in Game 3 but suffered the loss. Zito's only earned run in six innings pitched came on a bases-loaded walk to catcher Ryan Hanigan.

Zito's walk proved costly as the Reds edged the Giants 2-1.

The Giants figure to like their chances in Game 4 of the series. Ryan Vogelsong, who has been their best pitcher, is 7-3 with a 2.23 ERA.

Vogelsong will be opposed by the struggling Bronson Arroyo who is just 3-5 with a 4.13 ERA. The Giants look to have the upper hand but only if they score runs.

The Giants' bats have gone suddenly cold after Game 1. The Giants scored just two ninth-inning runs in the last two games, but have not taken advantage of the few chances they had.

In Game 2, Cain's inability to get a sacrifice bunt down dashed any hopes of the Giants getting back into the game. With the Giants trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Cain struck out on a foul bunt with Brandon Crawford at second base.

The next two batters grounded out, and the Giants did not score. The Giants lost the game 5-0, but if they had gotten that run in the fifth inning, the Giants would have been down only 3-1, giving the Giants some momentum throughout the game.

Who knows what could have happened then? Good teams make good use of the few chances they have, even if the opposing pitcher is dominating.

The Giants are a scratch-and-claw offense, so they must produce a run on almost every runner at second base and nobody out situation if they hope to make the playoffs--or beyond.

Here are some interesting stats and notes heading into the series finale.

• Bronson Arroyo, today's Reds' starter, has never won a game at AT&T Park. He is 0-4 in San Francisco, with a 4.34 ERA.
• Ryan Vogelsong has pitched 11 straight quality starts and holds a 1.28 ERA in eight home starts this season.
• Reds' slugger Joey Votto may not play in the series finale due to inflammation in his left knee. Votto is hitting .350, with 33 doubles, 14 home runs, and 47 RBIs.
• The Giants are currently in a 13-game stretch against teams in either first or second place. They are 4-2 in those games.
• The Giants have not lost three in a row since early May.

 The Reds are 4-2 against the Giants this season and have already clinched the season series.
 

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Information from ESPN.com contributed to this article.

Check out my NBCBayArea.com article on the San Jose Giants' Joe Panik.

Lincecum Day Becomes Win Day Again

By Vince Cestone

Twitter @vintalkingiants


Tim Lincecum looks like Tim Lincecum again.

Lincecum notched his second victory of 2012 in impressive fashion. Not only did he pitch eight innings of one-run ball, but he also broke up San Diego Padres' starter Anthony Bass' perfect game with an infield single in the bottom of the sixth inning.


Lincecum did not light up the radar gun, topping out at 90 mph, but he was effective, mixing and matching the fastball with his offspeed pitches. The result was in Lincecum's favor.

The Padres scored first in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Nick Hundley. A throwing error by first baseman Brandon Belt fueled the third-inning rally.

The Giants made two more errors Saturday night, their fifth of the series.

Belt made up for his miscue in the bottom of the seventh inning. With runners at first and third, Belt scorched a two-out double into the left-center field gap.

The Giants scored two runs on that double and took a 2-1 lead. San Francisco would go on to win by that score.

Pablo Sandoval went 0-for-4 in the game, ending his 20-game hitting streak.

...

Tim Lincecum showed everyone last night why he is an ace.

Let's face it. Lincecum's fastball isn't up to speed right now.

What used to be 96-97 mph, then 91-94 mph, is now 89-91 mph. Lincecum is learning how to make it work, which is what separates a pitcher from a thrower.

Lincecum mixed and matched his pitches nicely last night. Like Barry Zito, Lincecum cannot rely on blowing away hitters right now with pitches up out over the plate.

Why? The answer is simple.

The difference in velocity between his fastball and changeup is not as great as it once was, which makes pitch recognition easy for the hitter. Lincecum must rely on knee-high control and using his assortment of pitches, including his changeup, curveball, slider, and split.

Lincecum simply cannot blow hitters away with pitches out over the plate like he used to. Keep this in mind though.

Sometimes, making it work with less stuff on the mound can make you a better pitcher than dominating when you have all your stuff.



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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 Versus Philadelphia Phillies Preview: Another Legendary Matchup

VS.

By Vince Cestone
Twitter @vintalkingiants

Due to technical difficulties, this will be a very quick post.

If you thought Monday's game was going to be a legendary pitching duel, tonight's game will be a close second.

The Philadelphia Phillies' Cliff Lee (0-1) will take on Matt Cain (1-0).

Cain is coming off a one-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had a great bounce-back game after blowing a six-run lead against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Lee has been solid so far, although he had a hiccup in his last start against the New York Mets. He has posted a 3.46 ERA in two starts, with 11 strikeouts and just two walks. The San Francisco Giants will certainly have their hands full tonight.

Brett Pill will be playing first base and Ryan Theriot will be at second in place of Emmanuel Burriss with the left-handed pitcher going tonight.

...

The Giants made a great move going with Nate Schierholtz here. He has been a hot hitter and seems to have the magic wand going.

Schierholtz went 3-for-3, including a booming single off the brick wall in right field. Surprising that Bochy would go with Nate here against the lefty Lee, but he has earned it.

Sit back and watch. This will be a great game.

...

Are you all excited?


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Information from ESPN.com contributed to this article.

Images From:
Matt Cain: By User eürodäna (Original version) User StormXor (Crop) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 

Cliff Lee: By artolog on Flickr User Fui in terra aliena (Crop) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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

Matt Cain Throws Shutout in San Francisco Giants' Home Opener

By Vince Cestone
@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?




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The Inactivity of the San Francisco Giants: Is their 2011-2012 MLB Offseason Wasted?

By Vince Cestone

 Add caption











Getty Images via The Bleacher Report






From the NBC Bay Area newsroom in Downtown San Jose... (yes, I am interning here)...

I know it has been so long since I talked to you, but here I am once again to provide you with my thoughts on the San Francisco Giants "and baseball in general." This new internship has ended my six-month battle with writer's block (Yay me!).

Something I heard from General Manager Brian Sabean about a month or so really bothered me, and it should bother you if you are a San Francisco Giants fan. The words Giants fans have heard countless times to the point of frustation came from this MLB.com article.

"We've pretty much gotten to the top of the budget," Sabean said in the article.

The article also says:

"In terms of player movement, the Giants' offseason has ended.
That's an exaggeration, but only a mild one.
General manager Brian Sabean said Wednesday that with guaranteed and projected salaries factored in, the
Giants have hit their $130 million player payroll limit."

It also adds that the Giants will continue scour the free agent market for potential bargain acquisitions.

Do Giants' fans really want to hear this same old story again?

The Giants have a real shot to establish themselves as the team to beat in the National League West--and perhaps the NL. They have the pitching staff to get it done, but their offense still remains sub-par in comparison to other elite teams in baseball.

Especially with much of the offensive talent leaving the league, such as Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols, the Giants had a shot to become the superpower of the division--or even the National League. One power bat could have been enough (a la Carlos Beltran) with a healthy Buster Posey, but the Giants decided to fold.

Beltran signed with the St. Louis Cardinals for two-years, $26 million. Since he did not command the big multi-year deal as originally thought he would, the Giants missed out on a great opportunity to sign a steady, respected, and established bat in the middle of their order.

I think this article from a fan on Yahoo Sports is right on the mark.

Don't get me wrong. I think the Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan deals were great and necessary to improve team speed and athleticism. However, I think if the team was truly committed to winning, an extra $13 million spent on a quality player would not have hurt the team too much financially--especially in a time where it's always a party at the corner of Third and King.

Perhaps the extra star power would have paid itself off in sales if the Giants made another playoff run--or even another World Series run.

It makes me wonder one thing. If Bill Neukom were still around, would the Giants have made a stronger push for Beltran?

Did the Giants miss good opportunities this offseason? What do you guys think?

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