Barry Zito

[herpes]

It looks like he is finally got his shit back together.  Spice since you see him more than anyone here how has he been looking ?

[Tay]

Honestly, most Giants fans gave up on him by mid-season last year at the latest, so anything good he does is a pleasant surprise. He pitched better at the end of last season, so he has shown signs of it. I've read that his fastball velocity is up 1 or 2 mph, so that would help. But the biggest thing is location, obviously. He has been getting ahead in counts and it has helped his composure, he used to look like he was battling himself out there.

[S P I C E]

Yeah what Tay said is on point.  The extra 3 mph on the fastball has helped a lot but really his mental focus and ability to get ahead of hitters is what has helped him the most.  The guy finally seems focused and honestly he looks pissed off now when he is pitching lol, I think 2 straight terrible years finally has him motivated and ready to prove everyone wrong who gave up on him which is basically every Giants fan alive.  I am really starting to get pumped about this team, we have a legit shot at winning this division and our starting pitching can give us a chance in any series but I just wish we could find a way to add a big bat for the middle of our "lineup"

[J.D. Wykid, Esq.]

Yeah what Tay said is on point.  The extra 3 mph on the fastball has helped a lot but really his mental focus and ability to get ahead of hitters is what has helped him the most.  The guy finally seems focused and honestly he looks pissed off now when he is pitching lol, I think 2 straight terrible years finally has him motivated and ready to prove everyone wrong who gave up on him which is basically every Giants fan alive.  I am really starting to get pumped about this team, we have a legit shot at winning this division and our starting pitching can give us a chance in any series but I just wish we could find a way to add a big bat for the middle of our "lineup"

you really believe that, ey?   hey, whatever helps you sleep better at night! 

in all seriousness tho...if yall pull a trade for a bat, and yall pitching holds up, then it should be close.   on the other hand..if we make a trade here and there, maybe get a good SP and some RP, and we could just run away with this shit. 

[S P I C E]

Giants are just as good as Dodgers and without Manny we can b better. U swept us early but last 2 series we have taken 2 out of 3. Don't get too excited about your fast start, the Giants are just as good.

[J.D. Wykid, Esq.]

Giants are just as good as Dodgers and without Manny we can b better. U swept us early but last 2 series we have taken 2 out of 3. Don't get too excited about your fast start, the Giants are just as good.

just as good? LOL.

you just killed the thread.  good job.


look at the records..look at our offense...look at the standings.  we're better at home, better on the road than the giants.. and you say 'just as good'??  lol  if it werent for our bullpen, we would be like 29-4 right now.   we would be undefeated against the NLW..we're 20-8 against the NLW as it is.  the gianst are 13-12 against the NLW.  that aint a very good way to win the division.   

[S P I C E]

We have won the last 2 series, one at home and one in la. The last 3 weeks the giants and dodgers have had 2 of the best 5 records in all of baseball, I repeat we are just as good. We are 4 and a half back due to the first week of the season, the last 3 weeks both clubs have pretty much been even.

[J.D. Wykid, Esq.]

our bullpen, besides for broxton, is SHIT...yet we still manage to have the best record in baseball cause our offense is fucking stacked.  if we had some relief pitching like we've had in the last couple of years, we would be leading the division by double digits. 

if the giants want to do ANYTHING, RIGHT NOW is the time to do it.  cause once our RP straightens out, and manny comes back, shiiiiiiiittttt......

[Twentytwofifty]

The Giants REALLY need get step up their offense if they want to go anywhere. 

Last in Runs
26th in AVG
Last in OBP
29th in SLG
Last in HRs
Last in BB

Here's an article on the Giants offense:

The Giants offense: One bad thing about every player
Posted by Nick Kapur on Wednesday May 06th 2009, 11:01 am - filed in Diamond cuts

Lots of people were really high on the San Francisco Giants this offseason, making lots of bold predictions about how they would finish over .500 and might even make the playoffs, predictions which were predicated on the Giants making some sort of quantum leap on offense from a performance that was second worst in all of baseball last year, to only the Padres, who at least have the excuse of playing in Petco Park.

But we here at UmpBump just didn’t see it happening. Still, while the Giants offensive suckage may not be surprising, it is still stunning in just how bad they are at all phases of the offensive game. They literally do everything badly - they don’t walk, they don’t hit for power, they don’t hit for average, and they strike out a ton.

The team ISO is a piddling .119, 29th in baseball. The team K% is 23 which ranks 23nd. And the team BB% of 7.4 comes in at 29th in baseball as well. Add it all up and you have a team that has scored a mere 90 runs, last in the Major Leagues.

Running through the starting lineup, it is easily possible to come up with at least one mind-bogglingly horrendous fact for every single player, without repeating yourself. Observe:

Catcher Bengie Molina has yet to draw a single walk, meaning that his OBP is actually lower than his batting average (due to a sacrifice fly).

Travis Ishikawa has a .528 OPS. As a first baseman.

2B Manny Burress has an ISO of .025. No that is not a typo.

3B Pablo Sandoval has an unsustainably high BABIP of .360, which is bound to fall. Not a good sign since 100 percent of his value is tied up in batting average.

Light-hitting shortstop Edgar Renteria is on pace to strike out a whopping 97 times this season.

Leftfielder Fred Lewis is playing corner outfield position but has yet to hit a single homer this year, after hitting only 9 all last year.

Centerfielder Aaron Rowand has a .299 OBP.

Rightfielder Randy Winn has a .220 batting average, a real worry since his BABIP is actually not particularly low.

[J.D. Wykid, Esq.]

^^^ over at rotoauthority.com they're even listing pitchers who are facing them this week for spot starts in fantasy baseball..since the giants are only averaging 3.63 runs/game.

[S P I C E]

And yet we are still in the thick of the race so far.

[J.D. Wykid, Esq.]

everyone is in "the thick of the race so far"...its only may..

[S P I C E]

everyone is in "the thick of the race so far"...its only may..

Well if we are so whack then why have we won the last two series against LA? Also if we are so whack then why do we have one of the 5 best records in all of baseball the last 3 weeks

[J.D. Wykid, Esq.]

everyone is in "the thick of the race so far"...its only may..

Well if we are so whack then why have we won the last two series against LA? Also if we are so whack then why do we have one of the 5 best records in all of baseball the last 3 weeks

do you honestly feel thats going to last??  you really think the hitters will be there all season for you guys??  the pitching will be...but the hitting?? 

like i said, if the giants want to do anything, the time is NOW..yall got 50 games to move into first and get a good lead (wont happen), because once manny comes back, and once we dump the dead weight from the pen, and get some better relief pitching, its a wrap for the NLW. 


so enjoy it while it lasts, cause beside lincecum, it might be the giants sole bright spot in the season!

[S P I C E]

We will talk again in September.  Yeah Matt Cain is not a brightspot or Molina either