San Francisco Giants: Help Wanted!

Just like last season, the San Francisco Giants are in dire need for offensive help, but unlike last season, it is injuries that is the cause. With catcher Buster Posey injured this week in a play that will likely end his season, he becomes just the latest casualty in an incredibly unlucky 2011 season. Currently on the disabled list sit the aforementioned Posey, Pablo Sandoval, who actually seemed to be recovering from his offensive doldrums last season, Mark DeRosa, role player Mike Fontenot, and speedster Darren Ford. Aubrey Huff, who was the team’s all-around leader last season, bats a measly .223, while newcomer Miguel Tejada brings an atrocious .212 batting average to the table (this really gets put into perspective when you note that pitcher Ryan Vogelsong is actually batting .308). Power-hitter Pat Burrell leads the team with an astounding five homeruns, tied with Sandoval who has been out for nearly thirty games. At the same time, Freddy Sanchez tops out the team in hitting, with a .298 average. In other words, somebody help!

Sandoval should be set to return in a couple of weeks, but the Giants are going to need more than that. While the pitching is still holding strong, helping the Giants astoundingly remain in first place, while the offense bats .240 and is second-to-last in the National League in runs scored, the Giants need to make a trade to bring in some offense. One cannot be picky here; just get someone. There have been many names thrown around, ranging from Jose Reyes to Ivan Rodriguez. The Giants are allowed to be desperate here, but it does not mean they have to be. Just listen to WFAN in New York and you will hear some of the dumbest calls ever made to the station. Fans of the Yankees and Mets are smelling blood in the water, and see that if the Giants are so hard up for offense, they must be willing to trade pitching. Sophomore Madison Bumgarner is the name that nearly every caller wants, and I have heard proposals such as Reyes for Bumgarner, and even Yankee fans getting in there, wanting to give the Giants their top catching prospect Jesus Montero for Jonathon Sanchez. New Yorkers always want to think they can get a Filet Mignon for the price of a Morning Star boca burger, but come one now!

One caller even told Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts, who host a midday show on WFAN, an asinine proposal of Josh Thole for Bumgarner, to which Benigno responded, “Yeah, sure! Give us Sanchez too!” It really is quite funny, because everyone seems to be enamored with the Giants from coast to cost. Mike Francesa has even had to dismiss disillusioned callers and their fantasy-like wishes.

The Giants will not trade Madison Bumgarner or Jonathon Sanchez. Nor will they trade Tim Lincecum for Jorge Posada. Anyone that thinks a deal involving those three makes sense, get your head out of your behind. Desperation never worked in anyone’s favor, except the trading partner that exploits it. If the only way the Giants can get help is by trading a pitcher, than I would rather stay the course and miss the playoffs. Saving this season is not worth jeopardizing the next three. If the Mets want to get rid of Reyes so bad, then I would offer Miguel Tejada and a prospect: take it or leave it. The Mets would save a tremendous amount of money while the Giants would not be overpaying for a rental. That helps out the infield, but then the Giants need to fix their catcher dilemma. Eli Whiteside is a good backup, but by no means is he an everyday player. The Giants have contacted the Nationals regarding 39-year old Ivan Rodriguez (.211, 2 Hrs, 14 RBI), which would be a decent stop-gap for this season. I would also inquire about Jorge Posada on the Yankees, whose .174 batting average would fit right in.

The disgruntled catcher has caused Yankee fans to forget his past greatness and jump on the What-Have-You-Done-For-Me-Lately bandwagon. The Yankees could send him to San Francisco for a prospect or two and never see him again. There, Posada can get back to actually catching (he does not seem to love the designated hitter position) and help the Giants’ young pitching staff. It could serve as a reclamation project of sorts, that they tried, and succeeded, with Pat Burrell who was also unhappy DHing and struggling with the Tampa Bay Rays early last season. His career was thought to be over too, and look how that turned out for the Giants in the long run.

San Francisco Giants: Offense Struggles, GIDP at an Alarming Rate

Pat Burrell has been a pleasant surprise since arriving in San Francisco.

The San Francisco Giants are currently leading the National League wildcard by 1.5 games. They are leading the majors in strikeouts and saves, while being number two in ERA. For the month of July, they were near the top of the league in runs scored. But they are also front-runners in a not too positive stat, grounded-into-double-plays, which they lead the NL in, with 110.

It is no secret that the only reason why the Giants have not soared away with the NL West already is because of poor hitting. This same hitting that was on an other-worldly tear last month has returned right back to where it was all season long; a step above non-existence.

Game after game, the Giants pitching keeps them in it, only to have the team come up short and ruin efforts by the starting pitcher. In the last three games alone, they have ruined quality starts by Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito (a game they won in extra-innings) and a decent showing by Matt Cain. This has been the pattern for two seasons now, one that could have been corrected with the addition of a bat this trade deadline, but the Giants chose to add more pitching instead.

As pleasantly surprised as the Giants have to be with Aubrey Huff, Andres Torres, Pat Burrell and Buster Posey, they have to be disappointed in Pablo Sandoval, who has been nothing short of dreadful so far.

This time last year, he was near the top of the league in batting average, but now he hits a mere .263 with only six homeruns and 44 RBI’s. He has also hit into 20 double-plays, which is tied for the NL lead with the Nationals’ Ivan Rodriguez.

It’s hard to fathom the fall this guy has seen since just last season. Perhaps the Giants toyed with him in the off-season, because they tend to do that with players. Maybe they tried to make him more patient at the plate, and although that is what we want our players to strive for, it just does not worth with some, and maybe threw his hitting-eye off.

The Giants have also seen 16 GIDP from Juan Uribe and 10 from Aaron Rowand, who is in the third of a five-year bust-contract with the Giants.

Patience at the plate was this team’s downfall last season, and it is shaping up to be this season as well. The pitching coach, Carney Lunsford, was not brought back because of that express reason, and it seems the Giants are not better at it this year than last. They just refuse to take pitches. Their strikeouts rates are surprisingly not near the top of the league, but how many times does this team blow it by swinging at a bad pitch and popping up or grounding out with runners in scoring position? Way too much.

Pat Burrell, who has only been with the Giants for 48 games, shows he may be the only person with an eye for the strike zone. With 23 walks, he has more than Aaron Rowand has in 82 games.

With their pitching, the Giants are going to stay contenders for the wildcard and make a run for the NL West, but they must find a way to improve the offense or it will all go to waste. They need to be more patient at the plate, and be smarter with runners in scoring position. The veterans will need to lead the way, which includes Freddy Sanchez upping his game, and Edgar Renteria getting back to where he was before the injury. This is the Giants one real chance at making post-season play, and if the offense continues at this rate, they will not get a chance to taste October baseball.

Carnac the Magnificent Talks Baseball!

Ladies and gentlemen, you have no idea how rare an interview with Carnac the Magnificent actually is. We have been waiting months for us to just get a touch of his greatness, and now the great sage, the great soothsayer is here with us to talk baseball. Today, he showed withus his majestic ways by predicting baseball related answers to questions sealed in an envelope, without having ever before seen the question. Hold on to your chairs, and enjoy the mystery and awe-inspiring ability of Carnac the Magnificent!

1. Answer: Tire, a jack, and Milton Bradley

Question: What are three things you can find in Ken Wakamatsu’s trunk?

2. Answer: Catch-22

Question: What will happen if you hit a hundred pop fly’s at Luis Castillo?

3. Answer: A thousand clowns

Question: What can you find in the Mets’ front office?

4. Answer: Until he gets caught

Question: How long does a player use steroids?

5. Answer: A full moon

Question: What would you see if CC Sabathia dropped his pants?

6. Answer: A tractor, a field, and a hundred dead bodies

Question: What will you find on Ugueth Urbina’s farm?

7) Answer: 20,000 leagues under the sea

Question: Where are the Kansas City Royals headed?

8. Answer: Dustin Pedroia

Question: What do you call someone cleaning his Pedroia?

9. Answer: Over fifteen billion served

Question: What will be written on Kei Igawa’s tombstone?

10. Answer: The American people

Question: Name the loser in the 2002 MLB All-Star game

11. Answer: Hog jowls, chitlins, black-eyed peas, cornpone, hush puppies, and red eye gravy

Question: What does Charlie Manuel eat on a Sesame seed bun?

12. Answer: Washington Nationals

Question: Who was just arrested for impersonating a baseball team?

13. Answer: ANA, LAD, and OAK

Question: How do you spell Analadoak?

14. Answer: “The Front”

Question: What does it say on the side of Pablo Sandoval’s jersey

15. Answer: A six inch base with two feet of powder

Question: Describe Ron Washington’s nose

Join us next time when Carnac visits us all the way from the land of Kashmir. Think these were bad? Just wait!

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