The strike zone is too mainstream.

When the first run on of the game scores on the third consecutive walk issued by Barry Zito, it sets a tone that’s typically not going to work in the Giants’ favor.

Zito and the strike zone were not friends today, but he managed to get incredibly lucky and work out of a few jams and only give up one run. George Kontos gave up another one, and that was all she wrote.

Whoever the baseball gods were who decided that Zito vs. Latos was a remotely fair matchup is officially on my list, I’ll just say that. A lackluster recap for a lackluster game.

Giants attempt to right the ship and even the series tomorrow, as we all sob over beloved former Giants at the anniversary ceremony, with Vogelsong vs. Arroyo.

Pablo Sandoval broke his home run drought since returning from the disabled list, and the  Dodgers lost, leaving the Giants in first place.

And that is pretty much about the size of it. Such games happen, especially when the Cincinnati Reds are involved. One hopes that the offense can muster a bit more of a showing tomorrow, because Barry Zito is likely going to need the help.

Brad Penny purchased from Triple-A Fresno and added to ML roster. Shane Loux placed on DL. Surkamp to 60-man DL. — Alex Pavlovic (@AlexPavlovic) Thus begins the second era of the Brad Penny. It’s also interesting to note that Eric Surkamp is being placed on the 60 day (typo there, Pavs?) for something that was called a strain in the beginning.

And all is right the world. (photo: Mike Heimowitz/twitter)

So you know how we were all a little bummed (har har) to say goodbye to that delightful series against the Dodgers? I mean really, there’s not much better than shutting our your rival for three straight games to slide into a first place tie.

Well, Madison Bumgarner was there for us tonight, deciding that setting a record for consecutive shutout innings while pitching a one-hit gem (his first career complete game shutout) against the first place Reds was just what we needed to keep our spirits up.

Oh, and did I mention that the Dodgers lost, meaning the Giants are now in sole possession of first place?

Yup.

I think the Giants might be on to something with this whole “just don’t let the other team ever score” strategy. It’s hard to fault the logic, you know?

Too bad this consecutive scoreless streak won’t hold up tomorr- what? Matt Cain is pitching tomorrow? Oh. Well then. Better make some room for more consecutive zeroes.

MATT CAIN takes on Mike Leake and Dusty Baker’s Reds tomorrow night.

BEAT LA (Photo: Jill Clardy/Flickr)

You know what’s fun?

Beating the Dodgers.

You know what’s even more fun than that?

Sweeping the Dodgers?

And more fun than that?

A shutout sweep of the Dodgers. » Continue reading “Giants Recap: LA IS SWEPT”

Challenge accepted. (Photo: Jill Clardy/Flickr)

I almost don’t want to spoil how good that win feels by talking about the details too much, so I won’t.

The Dodgers lost. The Giants won. Clayton Kershaw pitched and gave up earned runs at AT&T Park for the first time since roughly the Reagan administration. Ryan Vogelsong was one bad mother. Melky Cabrera hit the snot out of the ball. Buster Posey continued to have his Havin’ It Meter set to “ain’t”. It was good. It was real good.

Fingers crossed for another Happy Lincecum Day tomorrow and a move into first place.

*The last time the Dodgers were shut out in back to back games in San Francisco was August 15-16, 1987. 

Barry Zito rides into AT&T Park on his beloved unicorn, Powder, who is eating a Dodgers hat. (Illustration by Mac)

I had to take a look at the Dodgers’ stats on Baseball Reference, because when in doubt, there’s always fun things on Baseball Reference. And then I had to take another look, because this team is in first place! I mean, look at this:

Leadoff hitter!

Slugging first baseman!

Fourth on the team in PAs!

I’m cherry-picking a little, of course. There’s Ethier and eventually Kemp and for some reason the withered corpse of Bobby Abreu, and the pitching has been pretty good. But still, for how dominant they’ve been…let’s take a look at their Pythagorean winning percentage (i.e., how many games they ought to have won & lost based on their actual run scoring & prevention.)

Huh. Baseball-Reference has them at 41-32, with an actual record before  tonight of 43-30. That’s not that far off. Hey, how about the Giants?

Oh. Apparently we ought to be 37-36. Moving right along, then. » Continue reading “Giants Recap: Giants Take LA Out Behind Woodshed”

BEAT LA (Photo: Jill Clardy/Flickr)

BEAT LA.

That’s it — that’s the one thing the Giants need to do right now.

It will be tough, yes, but sweet merciful Snow, the Giants need to get some wins out of this series to gain some ground in the standings.

And also because it’s the Dodgers and no one wants to see the Giants lose to the Dodgers.

Tonight’s lineup:

No Posey tonight for #SFGiants: Blanco RF, Theriot 2B, Cabrera LF, Pagan CF, Sandoval 3B, Belt 1B, Sanchez C, Crawford SS, Zito SP

— Alex Pavlovic (@AlexPavlovic) June 25, 2012

May Marichal save us all.

So Matt Cain gets Cained again. Who else saw that coming?

Yeah, I got nothing. It was a frustrating loss. It was also almost expected once Santiago Casilla couldn’t get the outs in the 9th. The walkoff home run just seemed inevitable.

It also doesn’t help that the offense seemed to be made of little — one walk, five hits. That’s not much to actually win. Considering it’s the Giants, of course.

I will also admit that I didn’t watch most of the game, opting to watch the England-Italy Euro 2012 match. That might’ve been a better choice in the end. I saw the walkoff, though. That wasn’t worth it.

There was also something about fans barking back and forth about nonsensical things related to a rivalry that really has no significance in the long run if there’s a very little chance of the two teams meeting in the World Series.

Tomorrow, the Giants head home across the Bay and face the (still in the friggin’ first place — how does that really happen?) Dodgers.

Now that’s a rivalry that actually means something right now.

(Photo: Dinur/flickr)

I’m not certain that there is such a thing at all as the perfect pitcher. There are of course candidates, seasons of perfection from Koufax and Pedro and Randy and so forth, but it seems more like an ideal to strive for than an actual thing. Madison Bumgarner thus is certainly not the perfect pitcher; he did Cliff Lee things at the age when Cliff Lee was doing them in Single-A, but he has his problems. And the biggest of those problems is that he throws too many strikes.

Think about that one for a second. “Listen, Madison, there’s that one thing that pitchers are usually supposed to do above all else. You’re, uh, you’re a little too good at it.” Kinda puts any complaints about Bumgarner into perspective, doesn’t it? But it can be a problem, and it was tonight in the early innings, when the Athletics swung wild and free because they knew Madison Bumgarner was going to set up camp in the strike zone and not leave without federal intervention. » Continue reading “Giants Recap: Giants Win Eminently Lose-Able Game”