I don't know much, but I'll bet a dollar against a dime that Aubrey Huff was a steaming pile of pissed off watching little Andres Torres round the bases after depositing one over the centerfield wall in the bottom of the third. After all, back in the first, Huff Daddy cracked an Edinson Volquez pitch just about as hard as anyone could and gave it enough back spin to take it well out of almost any park in the majors. Unfortunately, Huff plays his home games at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, and even in the warm and windless conditions that greeted players on a rare comfortable Monday night in San Francisco, his bomb turned into a two-run double off the CF wall. Even from my perch in Section 104, I could feel Huff seething out at second base, staring into the abyss of the outfield as if to curse the park to its very foundation, the definition of AT&T'd. Yet, there was my fantasy superstar, Mr. Torres, with his unassuming swing — not exactly coming-out-of-his-shoes violent as you see with most little power hitters — and his tiny frame, doing what must sometimes feel like a wet dream for Aubrey: conquering the toughest field in one of the league's toughest parks with his 14th HR (tied for second on the team). So it was probably with no small amount of satisfaction that Huff watched his 8th-inning blast arc majestically into the deepest section of the Arcade, above the 20-foot wall, above the 421-foot marker. Bonds territory. I'm gonna add to all the other takes on Pablo Sandoval's resurgence in a moment, but the most welcome sight to my eyes in recent days has been Aubrey Huff's reclamation of his swing. More than anyone right now, we need this guy to be the MVP candidate he was in the first half. More and more, it looks like he's on his way there...
BTW...
> Pablo Sandoval went from Pablo to Panda to downright Kung Fu-Stylie with his four-rope, three-hit performance. Seemed like he squared everything up — aside from a weak fly to left in his only right-handed AB. More importantly: Dude wasn't waiting around for a written invitation. He saw the ball, he hit the ball. That's where Panda gets his strength. Asking this guy to take a pitch is like asking Joey Chestnut to stop eating...
> Fred Sanchez had his first four-hit game with Giants, and I barely noticed...
> Matt Cain was the horse we needed him to be to stop the bleeding. Take away three straight hits in the top of the third, and he's got a clean sheet and probably goes the distance. He retired the last 14 guys he faced and dropped down three sacrifice bunts, even though only one of them was ultimately successful. Blame it on Fred Sanchez's aging legs. It just goes to show how good this staff can be with the confidence that the offense is going to show up. Nothing scarier in baseball than Shotgun Cain with a lead...
> On the flip side, you gotta feel for Edinson Volquez, who pitched so poorly and was lifted so early with his team facing such a deficit that the hometown fans gave him a standing ovation. I didn't join in since I'm not one for kicking people when they're down, but I'll admit it made me smile...
> What didn't make me smile was the attempts at not one but two simultaneous waves smack in the middle of the game. What're we, Doyer fans? I'll have none of that in Section 104, thank you very much. War every fan who booed the wave as it labored around the park...
Let's hope the boys saved some offense for tonight...
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