San Francisco Giants' Sergio Romo Wrongly Snubbed from All-Star Game

By Vince Cestone

@vintalkingiants

Photo by SD Dirk/Flickr

2-1, 0.83 ERA, 4/4 in save opportunities.

These video game-like numbers are not part of my MLB 12: The Show season. They represent Sergio Romo's 2012 real season.

Wouldn't you put this man in the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City? Apparently not.

Romo was not chosen to represent the San Francisco Giants and the National League when selection ended Sunday, even with his excellent numbers.

Romo is the best right-handed setup man in the league. Although he is second in the league in earned-run average, Romo has a minuscule 0.74 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) and a 4.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Not dominant enough for you?

Romo averages 12 strikeouts per game with his premier slider and sneaky fastball. In addition, he has given up just 10 hits in 21.2 innings pitched.

The original purpose of the All-Star Game was to showcase the best each league had to offer (which is why I do not agree with every team needing one representative in the All-Star Game). The National League players and coaches missed a great addition to their bullpen.

Here are the relievers who made it to the Midsummer Classic over Romo:

• Aroldis Chapman: 4-4, 1.98 ERA, 64-12 K/BB, 9/13 Saves, 0.77 WHIP
• Joel Hanrahan: 3-0, 2.10 ERA, 35-15 K/BB, 20/22 Saves, 1.07 WHIP
• Craig Kimbrel: 0-1, 1.50 ERA, 50-10 K/BB, 23/24 Saves, 0.77 WHIP

Romo has a better ERA, save percentage (albeit Romo only had four chances), and a better WHIP than the above relievers who made the National League All-Star Team.

Romo may have been overlooked because he is not a closer. Regardless, the bearded right-hander's numbers show he is a more effective pitcher than the above All-Star relievers.

Was Romo undeservedly snubbed? My opinion is clear, but the players and coaches had something else in mind.

The other Giants in the 2012 All-Star Game were voted in by the fans as starters. Buster Posey will start at catcher, Melky Cabrera will patrol right field, and Pablo Sandoval will man third base.

The Giants have not had this many starting players on an All-Star team since 2001 when Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, and Rich Aurilia all represented San Francisco for the National League.


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Information from ESPN.com contributed to this opinion article.

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

Giants, Dodgers Going in Opposite Directions, Giants Take Opener Behind Zito 8-0

Barry Zito's seven-inning, shutout performance against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers seemed to come out of nowhere.

The Dodgers had to feel confident coming into Monday night's game. Barry Zito was touched up for eight earned runs against the Los Angeles Angels in his last start and had given up 17 earned runs in his last three starts.

Zito turned it around Monday.

Zito, who lost to the Dodgers in Los Angeles on May 7, dominated last night. In seven innings pitched, Zito yielded just three hits, while amassing four strikeouts.

The key to Zito's success?

Zito simply pounded the strike zone, mixing and matching his devastating curveball with his mid-80s fastball. An 85-mph pitcher can be effective as long as he mixes location, speeds, and constantly gets ahead of the count.

Zito did just that against Los Angeles. He threw soft stuff away, and then, he came inside with his fastball.

The result?

Hitters were fooled. When a pitcher throws a 75 mph curveball and backs it up with an 85 mph fastball, the latter pitch looks so much faster.

Overall, Zito has pitched well. The $126 million pitcher is now a fifth starter for the Giants, but he has pitched well.

Zito is 6-5, with a 4.00 ERA, including a complete-game shutout on April 10 against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Zito may not be a Cy-Young pitcher anymore, but he is serviceable and can keep the Giants competitive on the games he starts.

Zito's stellar performance may have been helped by the current Dodger woes. Los Angeles has lost six of their last seven games, including getting swept by the Oakland Athletics.

In those seven games, the Dodgers have scored just 13 runs.

Could this Dodger slump be attributed to Matt Kemp's injury?

I think so. Many of the Dodger hits were bloop hits, line drives that made it through, or ground balls that found holes.

A team can have success this way for a short time, but ultimately, it will fall short without at least some power. Sooner or later, those balls will find gloves.

The Dodgers are second-to-last in the National League in home runs with 45. They are also 13th in the league in doubles, but are in the middle of the pack in RBIs and hits.

Prolonged slumps are bound to happen when your best player is on the disabled list, especially one with power and speed. It is just part of the game.

Through it all, the Dodgers are still in first place in the National League West by two games over the Giants. They have done a great job working with what they have but with little power.

A team that relies on pitching and defense and not much offense can work, but it puts lots of pressure on your defense and pitching. The Dodgers, however, are far from perfect on defense, as they are ninth in the NL in errors with 48.

The Giants do not have much extra-base power either, which is why they are still behind the Dodgers in the NL West and have been up-and-down all year.

The Giants struggled in the more hitter-friendly American League, going 4-5 on their three-city interleague road trip.

Both teams figure to address this issue at the trade deadline. MLBTradeRumors.com reported the Dodgers had some interest in former Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkolis, but he was traded to the Chicago White Sox instead.

The Giants' offense seems to be clicking these last few games. The Giants scored eight runs last night and 24 runs in their last four games.

Hector Sanchez has been a potent offensive force for San Francisco. He usually catches on days Buster Posey rests.

Sanchez is hitting .282, with two home runs and 21 RBIs in 103 at-bats. In 2011, Giants' catchers combined to hit .224, with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs.

The combined on-base percentage for Giants' catchers last year was .298. Regular catcher Posey was injured for almost all 2011.

Sanchez, who played in place of Posey Monday night, went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. The Giants are 7-2 when Posey has a day off.

Other notable offensive contributions Monday:

• Gregor Blanco sparked the Giants' offense, going 2-for-4 with a walk.
• Melky Cabrera continued his great season with a 2-for-5 night, increasing his batting average for the year to a major-league best .351 average.
• Pablo Sandoval is stinging the ball again, almost hitting one out off the left field wall. He went 3-for-3, including a 2-RBI double. He had three RBIs for the game.
• The Giants were 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers were 0-for-8.

Dodgers' rookie starter Nathan Eovaldi got roughed up by the Giants.

His line: 5.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.

Eovaldi's ERA went up to 4.04 from 2.35. Despite pitching well in 2012, the Doders' rookie is 0-4.

This is good to see if you're a Giants fan. The Giants usually are overaggressive against pitchers they have not seen, but the 2012 Giants' offense is more patient.

San Francisco's team OBP is .320 in 2012. Their 2011 OBP was just .303, worst in the National League.

What's ahead:

Ryan Vogelsong (6-3, 2.41 ERA) will take on Clayton Kershaw (5-3, 2.73 ERA). Although name recognition would lead you to believe Kershaw has an advantage over Vogelsong, the Giants' right-hander has more wins and a lower ERA than Kershaw.

Vogelsong also beat Kershaw back in early May.

RHP Brad Penny, who the Giants signed to a minor league contract May 18, is almost ready to help the big club. Giants' manager Bruce Bochy said he intends to use Penny as either a spot starter or in long relief soon.

No definite timetable has been set for his call-up.

Penny has a 7.11 ERA with the AAA Fresno Grizzlies in 6.1 innings pitched. However, he pitched two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit, in a relief stint on June 24.


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Information from ESPN.com contributed to this article. 


Image attribution: By WeeHaggis (Flickr: [1]) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0) or 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?



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

Barry Zito Shocks Baseball World With Complete Game Shutout Versus Colorado Rockies; Giants Turn a 180 From Arizona to Colorado

By WeeHaggis (Flickr: [1]) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0) or CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

San Francisco Giants' left-hander Barry Zito silenced the naysayers by pitching a complete-game shutout in the Colorado Rockies' home opener at Coors Field.

Out of Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner, and Zito, who knew Zito would be the first to put the Giants in the win column in 2012.

Few probably would have anticipated Zito's dominant start based on how he looked in spring training. This preseason, Zito went 2-1, with a 7.91 ERA.

Zito's strikeout-to-walk ration was abysmal. In 19.1 innings pitched, he struck out 13 batters and walked 12.

Not to mention, his curveball looked flat and his fastball was barely topping 83 mph.

Today all that was tossed aside. For at least one day, Zito could be the subject or praise rather than the object of hate.

After the Giants roared with two runs in the top of the first inning on a long Pablo Sandoval home run to deep right field, preceded by a swinging bunt hit by Melky Cabrera, Zito followed with an eight-pitch shut down inning.

Zito came out of the gate looking impressive with his 84 mph fastball, combined with a devastating curveball and changeup. He got Marco Scutaro to groundout, retired Dexter Fowler on a flyout, and struck out Carlos Gonzales swinging on a devastating curveball.

Gonzales went 0-for-4 against Zito.

Zito was perfect for 2 2/3 innings, until opposing pitcher J Chacin singled on a swinging bunt with two outs. Chacin was left stranded after Dexter Fowler struck out swinging.

The Giants' offense was busy today, scoring seven runs.

After Sandoval's home run, the Giants tacked on two more runs in the third inning on a Hector Sanchez single and an Angel Pagan groundout. Chacin struggled with his control all game, walking four in the third inning alone.

The Giants added three more runs in the fifth inning on a Brandon Crawford bases-clearing, three-run double. San Francisco took a 7-0 lead, and has scored at least four runs in the first four games of the season.

The last time the Giants displayed this much offense in their first four games was in 2003, where they scored 25 runs. This year, they scored 21.

Today felt a little more like Giants baseball, but from an unlikely source. Zito figured to be the wild card in San Francisco's rotation, and with more performances like that, the Giants have one less worry to attend to.

...

Errors dogged the Giants in their sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Today, Angel Pagan committed the only gaffe, but the infield played error-free and looked fluid in doing so.

Brandon Crawford made a couple of nice stops on the infield and Pablo Sandoval made a great diving play in the first inning to rob Scutaro of a base hit.

Simply put, if the Giants play good defense, and hit a little bit, they should reach the playoffs with little problem. The Giants' offense is doing their part, but nobody predicted the starting pitching would do this bad in Arizona.

In recent years, the Giants have struggled to put up runs, even in offensive parks like Colorado and Arizona. Even their outs have been loud recently, which is sometimes a better sign than a bloop hit.

All a baseball player can do is hit the ball hard. The rest is out of his control.

Although Pablo Sandoval looks a bit bigger, his bat sure has not slowed down. Maybe it is just muscle weight or whatever, but his .375 average, with two home runs and six RBI in four games, tells me that he just needs to keep doing what he is doing.

On another note, nobody could have predicted Barry Zito would do this good against the Colorado Rockies. You got a warm, day game at Coors Field, and a recipe for offense at Coors Field.

The fact that Barry Zito shutout the Rockies, where curveballs go flat and the ball travels about 8 percent further, is truly remarkable. People forget that number 75 was once a Cy Young Award Winner and is not one to be underestimated.

Zito proved today that he has it in him to be an ace. He has it in him to get people out in the big leagues, even with his current fastball topping at 84 mph.

He proved his worth by doing what he did in the ultimate pitcher's hell. Coors Field may not have a name that brings up connotations of hell, but many a pitcher perhaps would describe the mile-high stadium as such.

Props to Zito. Just look at this line: 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

The question remains...

Can he back it up?

...

What do you all think? Was Zito's start a fluke or a sign of better things to come?

What do you think of the Giants' offense? A fluke or are they just good?

Do you think the pitching mishaps in Arizona were a fluke as well? Zito a CG shutout? Come on!

I am curious to hear your thoughts below.




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Pablo Sandoval signs 3-year contract with Giants (From FeedCrossing.com)

By Troy Nelson

According to a tweet from the San Francisco Giants, the club has avoided arbitration with third baseman Pablo Sandoval and signed him to a three-year contract.

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News hears that the deal is worth $17.15 million dollars plus incentives.

Baggs says Sandoval will earn $3.2 million dollars in 2012, $5.7 million dollars in 2013, and $8.25 million dollars in 2014, which eliminates all three arbitration years.

The Kung Fu Panda earned a measly $500,000 last year.

Sandoval’s signing accentuates a McFlurry of action by the Giants, who also avoided arbitration with Nate Schierholtz, Santiago Casilla, and Melky Cabrera earlier today. Angel Pagan‘s announcement was made yesterday, leaving just Sergio Romo and Tim Lincecum as the only two arbitration-eligible players left on the Giants’ original list of 11 players.

The Giants got a fantastic deal on Sandoval, who has thrived at the plate and in the field since committing himself to an off-season workout regimen the past two years.

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

The torture continues--Giants hang on to beat Diamondbacks 6-5 in Sandoval's return

Chris Stewart congratulates Brian Wilson, as he records his 19th save of 
the year. Wilson struck out Stephen Drew looking to end the game.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images


By Vince Cestone

The San Francisco Giants squeaked out another one-run victory, edging the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5.

The Giants' offense was jolted by Pablo Sandoval's return from the disabled list. In his first game back in the lineup, Sandoval went 1-for-4 with a walk, including an RBI single in the first inning which put the Giants on the board first.



With two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth inning, Giants' closer Brian Wilson walked Kelly Johnson and Justin Upton, who both moved up a base on a wild pitch. Wilson struck out the next batter, Stephen Drew, looking on a backdoor cutter with the tying and winning runs in scoring position. Wilson earned his 19th save.

The Giants jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the fifth inning.

They scored their second run in the fourth inning on a squeeze play with Matt Cain at the plate. The Giants tacked on three more runs in the fifth inning with two of them driven in by Cody Ross, who went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

The Diamondbacks roared back in the bottom of the sixth inning. With the score 5-1, Miguel Montero laced a three-run home run to right off Matt Cain, cutting the Dbacks' deficit to 5-4

The Giants and Diamondbacks scored one more run each in the game. Nate Schierholtz drove in the game-winning run for the Giants in the seventh inning with a double that Dbacks' outfielder Chris Young bobbled, allowing Huff to score and Schierholtz to get to third base.

Starting pitcher Cain was less than spectacular tonight, pitching 6 2/3 innings and giving up five runs on eight hits. Cain earned his sixth win of the year.

The Giants' bullpen picked Cain up, throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings of no-hit ball.

The Giants roughed up Josh Collmenter (4-2, 1.86 ERA), who came into tonight's start with a 1.18 ERA. The Giants touched him up for five runs and eight hits in the five innings he pitched.

Game Thoughts

By Chris Bissell

With offensive injuries comes lower production, which means less runs, combined with great pitching, means close games. We all know the formula, and we're all accustomed to the type of wins the Giants pull out.

Besides the pitching staff, there's nothing pretty about this team anymore--except the fact they continue to win games.

There's still one freshly-polished offensive gem on this team, healthy of course, and that's Pablo Sandoval. At this point, the offensively-challenged Giants understand how detrimental Sandoval's bat was before the broken hamate bone injury on April 29.

Sandoval hit the disabled list with a .313 average, five home runs, and 14 RBI after a hot start, fresh off an off-season of strenuous workouts, and a 38-pound drop. Sandoval led the team in average all the way up to his return tonight, and he certainly picked up where he left off.

After beginning the season in the bottom part of the order, hitting from sixth to ninth on several occasions, Sandoval had established his 2009 presence all over again, and you can guarantee that's not changing.

Sandoval has an irrefutable impact on this lineup, and you can see just from tonight how vast a difference it is. Aubrey Huff had 2 walks, Cody Ross went 2-for-4 with 2 doubles, and every starter except Matt Cain had a base hit.

The Giants since the beginning of last season have simply never been about one hitter, one individual, or one player in general, but at this point, you can't deny the importance of Sandoval's bat in the lineup and presence in the dugout.

This team has certainly caught the injury bug, and with Freddy Sanchez going out, there was almost nothing left in that lineup to be optimistic about. Huff was seeming to have his "off year," Crawford was coming down to earth, etc, etc.

The Giants won six out of ten on the last home stand, scoring a mediocre 2.4 runs per game. As I said, there's nothing pretty about this team, except the fact that they... yeah, we get it.

Nate Schierholtz continues to show up when it matters, driving in a run off Aaron Heilman in the 7th inning. Despite only being at a .261 average and a decent 4 home runs, Nate "the great" is certainly coming up in the clutch, with a line of .313/.361/.406 (.767 OPS) with runners in scoring position.

Giants' Health Notes

By Chris Bissell

• Freddy Sanchez will get a second opinion on his right shoulder tomorrow and will try to rest the shoulder to have it heal on its own, despite labrum damage and a loosened capsule.

 

• Mike Fontenot will resume his rehab in a few days after suffering a minor groin injury.

• Brandon Belt will have his cast removed Friday after suffering that right wrist hairline fracture a few weeks ago against the Cardinals.

Giants Blurbs

By Vince Cestone

The Giants are 5-1 against the Diamondbacks this season. The Giants have not scored six runs in a game since June 2 against the St. Louis Cardinals, where they won 12-7. The last time the Giants and Diamondbacks were 1-2 in the division standings in mid-June was 1999. Tomorrow, the Giants' Madison Bumgarner (2-8, 3.23 ERA) will face the Diamondbacks' Joe Saunders (3-6, 4.56 ERA) at 6:40 p.m.

Vinnie Cestone is a blogger/reporter for The Talking Giants Baseball Blog. Unless otherwise noted, all information was obtained first-hand or from official materials from ESPN or the Major League Baseball website.

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San Francisco Giants: 5 Biggest Threats to Title Repeat

By Vinnie Cestone

Note: This article was created on June 8. The stats in this article are not current.

The Giants line up behind the Commisioner's Trophy during their home opener.
Pool/Getty Images

The San Francisco Giants may be the 2010 World Series champions, but they will have to overcome many obstacles to reach baseball immortality again in 2011.

The Giants have continued their torturous ways so far this season. Their 2011 campaign has been a roller coaster ride from the start, with thrilling wins one night and devastating losses the next.

This season's Giants have essentially the same championship pitching staff and band of misfits as last season—minus Edgar Renteria and Juan Uribe—but will it be enough?

The 2010 Giants climbed many hurdles to win the World Series.

They overcame an anemic offense early in the season and a pitching hiccup in August. They bounced back from a 7.5-game deficit and a 6-12 season record against the San Diego Padres, the team they were competing against for the National League West title.

The challenges did not stop there. The Padres even forced the Giants to clinch the division on Game 162 after San Diego won the first two games of their season-ending three-game series.

Can the Giants be the team of destiny yet again in 2011 despite all the obstacles?

Here are five possible threats to a Giants World Series title repeat.

1. The Injuries

 

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

The Giants have taken many trips to the infirmary during the heat of battle this season.

San Francisco currently has six players on the disabled list—including Barry Zito, Mark DeRosa, Pablo Sandoval, Mike Fontenot and Darren Ford. Unfortunately for the Giants, many of their injuries came in an area where they had the least depth—the infield.

The biggest solider to go down is young, catching sensation Buster Posey, who broke his left fibula and tore ligaments in his ankle area during a collision at the plate. According to the Giants, his bat will likely be void from the Giants lineup for the remainder of the season, and his absence could have a detrimental impact on the Giants offense.

According to Fangraphs, before his injury, Posey's WAR was 1.7—which means he could have been on pace for a season WAR between four and five. To limit the damage of losing Posey, the Giants will have to scratch, claw and execute the fundamentals for runs.

In the 14 games since Posey's season-ending injury, the Giants have bounced back with an 8-6 record. So far, they have shown the resiliency needed to win without Posey, but they will have to continue doing so through 162 games.

Even with the injuries that plagued much of the infield, including their slugging third baseman Pablo Sandoval, the Giants sit atop the NL West at 35-27, 1.5 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks. With help from young players such as shortstop Brandon Crawford and infielder Emmanuel Burriss, Bruce Bochy is doing the best with what he has, and he will have to continue to do so if the Giants want to win the World Series again.

2. The Offense


Greg Fiume/Getty Images

The Giants have a world-class pitching staff but not a championship offense to match.

Although they are in first place in the NL West, the Giants are 15th in the National League in runs scored (218) and 13th in batting average (.240). San Francisco also has an unimpressive on-base percentage of .306, which is 14th in the league.

With Posey's injury, a key to the Giants offense is Aubrey Huff. Huff is hitting just .222, with eight home runs and 30 RBI, along with a .278 on-base percentage.

Despite Huff's slow start, he has heated up lately. In his last seven games, Huff has nine RBI and four home runs.

If the Giants want to win constantly, they will have to overcome their offensive struggles and put up runs on the board. Despite their 35-27 record, the Giants' torturous, low-scoring ways may not be so thrilling if those games start to go the other way—in the loss column.

3. The Arizona Diamondbacks


Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Giants have gotten heat from an unlikely divisional rival—the Arizona Diamondbacks.

This is not the first time the two teams have battled for first place, but in fact, it was a constant back in the early part of the decade. Between 1999 and 2003, the Giants and the Diamondbacks finished one-two in the division in three out of five of those years.

So far in 2011, the division rivalry has been renewed, but for how long?

The Diamondbacks are currently playing like a team that could threaten the Giants' defending World Series title—and their NL West title. At 33-28, Arizona is just 1.5 games behind San Francisco for first place.

Unlike the Giants, the Diamondbacks' main problem coming into the season was their pitching. In 2010, Arizona was 15th in the league in team ERA at 4.81, but so far in 2011, they are 12th in the league with a 3.94 ERA.

The Diamondbacks will have to keep their pitching up if they want to stay competitive in the National League West. Arizona was 19-10 in May, mainly because of their 3.03 team ERA for that month.

Fortunately for the Giants, they are 5-1 against the Diamondbacks this season—and seem to have their number in recent years. Still, if the Diamondbacks keep pitching like this and can prove they are for real, the Giants could find themselves snakebitten very soon.

4. The Target on Their Backs


 Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Winning a world championship may come with the glory, the celebration and a rejuvenated fanbase, but it may come with another consequence—the best effort from the opposing team.

The Giants cannot take any team lightly in 2011. Even the under-.500 teams could give the Giants a run for their money, and they need to be prepared.

The Giants saw this reality during their season-opening series when they lost three out of four to the now third-place Dodgers. San Francisco began 2011 2-4 and did not play good defensive or offensive baseball.

Since then, however, the Giants have bounced back and currently have a 35-27 record.

In addition to their stellar pitching, the Giants have since cut down on their errors and are getting timely hits again—the formula for their success in 2010. If the Giants play their game and pitch like they know how to, they should be able to overcome the target on their backs.

5. The Defense


Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The Giants may not have had the best defense range-wise in 2010, but they were able to make the plays on everything they got to.

The Giants defense is subpar in 2011, but most of their errors came early on. The Giants are currently 13th-worst in the National League in errors with 40 and 12th in the league in fielding percentage at .983.

According to Baseball-Reference, as a team, San Francisco's Rtot (the number of runs above or below average the player was worth based on the number of plays made) is minus-three, so their defense has slightly cost them a few runs.

One glaring defensive question mark is Miguel Tejada. As a shortstop this season, Tejada has made six errors and has a .942 fielding percentage in 27 games—with an Rtot of minus-three.

The Giants have made the most of Tejada by placing him at third base while Pablo Sandoval is recovering from his injury. Tejada has responded nicely by making just one error in 27 games, with an Rtot of four and a .988 fielding percentage.

If the Giants want to repeat as champions in 2011, they will have to continue doing something they excelled at last season—catching the ball.




Vinnie Cestone is a blogger/reporter for The Talking Giants Baseball Blog. Unless otherwise noted, all information was obtained first-hand or from official materials from ESPN or the Major League Baseball website.

This article was featured on The Bleacher Report.

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