Countdown to Scottsdale #11: Édgar Rentería, SS

I sing the song of Édgar Rentería, who hit the single most memorable home run in San Francisco Giants history — yeah, I said it — and decided a million bucks wasn't enough of a reward. I was prepared to laud the talents of Mr. Rentería, to speak of his career consistency and professional approach, to comment on his impressive postseason résumé, to lionize his 2010 World Series performance as one of a kind. But he's only one man, and nobody was bigger than this team, even Édgar Rentería. And as clearly as I will recall his exploits for the Orange and Black until my dying day, I can't discount the manner in which he left the club, especially because it is fresher in the mind.

Brian Sabean brought Rentería to San Francisco in 2009 to fill the void left by Omar Vizquel, who filled the void left by Rich Aurilia, who filled the void left by Royce Clayton, who filled the void left by Jose Uribe. The intervening years brought all manner of character actors to the Giants' shortstop position. But these were the household names. These were the heroes. I'd be surprised to learn that any of you thought of Édgar as a hero prior to the Fall Classic. He was overpaid, but that wasn't his fault. He spent more time on the disabled list than off, which was partly his fault. And he never seemed to regain the form he once had in the field or with the bat, which was entirely his fault — his and Father Time's. But that doesn't mean he lacked for moments of brilliance. In fact, prior to 11/1/10, Edgar was responsible for three of the most exhilarating home runs of the past two seasons:

1. his sweep-inducing grand slam against the Rockies in late August 2009;
2. his tying two-run jack on Opening Day 2010 at the Cove against the Braves; and
3. his blast off C.J. Wilson to break a scoreless tie in Game 2 of the World Series.

And it doesn't mean fans should blame him for his ridiculous contract. Besides, there ain't one among us who'd turn away that kind of cheese. But it's understandable to hate on the way he brushed aside the Giants' more-than-respectful offer to close out his career with the defending World Series Champions. And the fact that the Reds were dumb enough to best their offer only proves the power of the brain trust in Cincinnati. It also serves as just another stark reminder of the realities of the game.
 
As some of you might've seen on every MLB highlight reel since the turn of the millennium, Édgar Renteria won the 1997 World Series for the upstart Florida Marlins with an RBI single. This was a couple weeks after the Fish dispatched the N.L West Champion Giants in a three-up, three-down NLDS. (Remember Brian Johnson?) 13 years later, a few more of you probably saw him win the 2010 World Series for the Giants with a three-run home run off Cliff Lee in Game 5. Life's very cyclical, and you never seem to get pristine examples of it like you do in baseball. I suppose it has something to do with the nature of the game. After all, what is it but running in circles? But sometimes, the cycles take a long time coming 'round.

Thanks, Édgar.

106 down. 56 to go.

FRIDAY: It's an adventure every night with this team, B-Weezy back spasms or not. But for some reason, this time, I wasn't worried. Even as the tying run moved into scoring position, I felt deep down in those places you don't talk about at parties that the boys were gonna pull this one out. I brought a kazoo to the game, an orange one. It debuted on Monday, but I really let it out on Orange Friday, blaring in the ears of unsuspecting Doyer fans. After a few innings, I began to recall the last time the Hated Ones came to town. I said some really awful things to some blue-clad fans that warm evening in late June. I eased off on the kazoo, stopped telling every other person in an Ethier shirt to "Go back to your smog-infested shell of a city." I let them be. And los Gigantes rewarded me with a W. How did I know they would pull it out? Because in the top of the 9th, I had my mouth hermetically sealed shut. BTW: War Juan U! RIBE! for still being a baddass, but this game belonged to Aubrey Huff. Two-run double, Arcade homer, two great plays from both corner outfield positions. Can you spell M-V-P? Buster Posey... 1-game hitting streak.

SATURDAY: When Pat Burrell connected on his eighth inning bolt of lightning into the glove of a lucky fan roaming the bleachers, the multitude of images, memories, thoughts, and feelings that splashed across my mind would have been enough to fill an entire volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica. My instincts told me to join the rest of my 42,000 friends in attendance and jump for joy, explode in a rage of happiness and inchoate ranting. But I had to keep all but the briefest of bleats tucked neatly inside my soul. Why? Because I had the honor of sharing a luxury suite for the final 2+ innings with a local VIP, and while he would not have cared if I'd screamed bloody murder, I had to respect the austerity of his guests. It hurt so much to hold it inside as my former high school classmate rounded the bases in a moment that all of us there knew instantly would be carved into the storied history of this rivalry, to be repeated to our sons and daughters, to their daughters and sons. It hurt so much  had to cry. And when I did, I was thinking of my father, and his father. It's a family thing, you see. BTW: I'd have to be a galdarned idiot not to realize the eerie symmetry between this game and the Sunday afternoon affair at Chavez Ravine following a bitter floor battle at the California Democratic Party Convention on April 18th. On that day, oh so long ago, Barry Zito threw seven scoreless, and he was dealing like he always does in that yard. But he was being matched pitch for pitch by Clayton Kershaw, until U-RIBE! shot one into the left field pavilion. Part of me wanted the game to end 1-0, but the other part — the dominant part — knew that it wouldn't. So when Zito walked Garrett Anderson and Romo came in to give up the ghost to ManRam, I sat there and laughed. To keep from crying. I could sit here and draw the parallels, but I'll just say that this was Zito's redemption, even though he didn't figure in the decision of either game.

SUNDAY: I'm going to try very hard not to get excited. I'm going to do my best not to fly off the handle and make bold but uneducated predictions. I'm going to bite my tongue. But this is getting to be pretty f***ing fun, and the fun's only beginning. I remember the last time we swept the Doyers at the Cove. I remember because at the time I was working as an usher in Sections 219 & 220 on the Club Level. Great view up the first base line out toward the archways. I got to watch J.T. Snow do his bizniss every day, and they paid me $11 an hour to do it. Good union work. On the day we completed the sweep, the Giants were absolutely blowing those pricks out of the water, and I had to deal with the one and only fight in my section the entire year. It was started by a Doyer fan who — as fate would have it — was from San José. I don't know what pissed me off more: his team of choice or that he could've been my neighbor. Or maybe it was having to stay an hour after the game to fill out a report, and then another, and then another. All because some Giants fan sprained his thumb in the altercation. I remember trying to get between them before it happened. My fans may have thought I was trying to protect them from drunken violence. Truthfully, I just wanted them to cool it so I could watch the game and get home on time. BTW: How does Edgar Renteria do it? Every time the fans — yours truly included — start calling for his head, he turns around and does something that makes it impossible for us to hate him (see: Opening Day, grand slam vs. Rockies in '09). War Matt Cain. He earned that W.

101 down. 61 to go.

And then, it was 20... Kinda felt like a playoff game as opposed to a weeknight tilt against one of the league's younger teams. The heated atmosphere even came through in HD. So much to praise from this one: we held our own against the hottest pitcher in the game; we hung three runs on his line for the first time in three months; Juan U-RIBE and Edgar "Dude, where's my bat speed?" Rentería came up huge against the Florida bullpen;  Buster stayed hot and is fast approaching Stretch McCovey's San Francisco hit streak record; Aaron "Automatic 0-2" Rowand picked up another pair of hits; Serg and B-Weezy held it down in relief of a hit-and-miss Shotgun Cain... I could go on, but let's just say this: Good win, boys. Didn't hurt that the Hated Ones shut out the Fathers in San Diego, putting the Orange and Black just 2.5 back in the West, the closest they've been in months. That's not to say Butch was thinking blue. It's still far too early in this race to start rooting for the Doyers. Besides, we're leading the Wild Card Division, so who cares about the West, right? BTW: If you're lovin' Weezy's new bright orange kicks, check out this item from Henry Schulman's Splash blog on SFGate.com. According to the Twitter feed of CSN's Amy G, Wilson received the questionable cleats unsolicited from Nike. Apparently, they magically appeared in his locker at the All-Star Game in Anaheim. This makes me wish Phil Knight would visit in the middle of the night and leave a pair of Jordans in my closet. How 'bout it, Phil?

83 down. 79 to go.

You can get all the gifts in the world, but you still have to take advantage. Pablo gave Counsell a gift, and the Brewers' shortstop gave it right back. That's baseball. Besides, MadBum earned that break with a stout performance for his first big league W. Even managed to plunk Prince Fielder — albeit far too gently. Not to mention, the kid can swing the stick. MadBat anyone? As my friend A-Kob queried on the ol' Twitter thing: "Do you think Bochy considered switching MadBum and Edgar in the lineup?" If he didn't, he should have. Renteria looks old, slow, and apathetic at the plate, and it's not like he's ever been Omar Vizquel at short. I smell a DFA in the offing. Kind of impressive this team is anywhere near .500, let alone competing in what's turned out to be a tough division: Lincecum is nowhere near the dominant force everybody's come to expect, and he really hasn't been his usual self since April; Sandoval is making a lot of people regret investing in those corny panda hats; and the bullpen's been a mine field when it was projected to be one of this team's strengths. If any two of these three elements come around in the second half, we can still make waves in the National League. If all three are still hit-and-miss on August 1st, we're toast. Simple as that.

162-0

Welcome back to baseball, everybody!

Unless you've been hiding under a rock all week, you've seen our Giants break camp in fine form, dispatching the 'Stros with a series sweep in Houston and coming from behind in dramatic fashion to knock off the Bravos in yesterday's thrilling (and unnecessarily long) home opener. Los Gigantes are the only undefeated team left in the league, and they lead the West by a game.

When Edgar hit the tying tater, I was noshing at In-N-Out, halfway through a Double-Double, and tracking the game on my iPhone. The ScoreCenter update came through... "Na-na-na! Na-na-na!" And damned if I didn't raise my arms and do a little seat dance. I pumped my fist about three times before I remembered I was at In-N-Out, and no one else knew what the hell I was jazzed about. So I brought the theatrics down a bit and went back to eating my burger. But I knew we were gonna win that game.

So far, I have to say I'm impressed with the vibe of the club. Everyone in the dugout seems loose and upbeat, with the kind of swagger you normally see in teams like the BoSox or the Yanks, who go out there every day expecting to win. The offense is doing just enough to take advantage of the chances they get — but really, Panda... four double plays? And the pitching is, well, what we expected.

It's safe to say I'm optimistic. But then again, I have to be. I bought season tickets.

Which brings me to tonight. My first live game of the season. Four starters have ripped it up — yes, even Dirty Sanchez, despite the runs and the early exit. I get Todd Wellemeyer and then pray it doesn't rain on Sunday. Timmyday. Fair enough. And who knows? Maybe there's something to this fast start. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking. A bit of both? Likely.

As this is an election year, my day job will be consuming a lot of my time, and an unfortunate byproduct of that is less time for blogging. But since attention spans are dissipating across the board these days, this shouldn't be a problem for most of my avid readers, who would probably prefer I keep it short and sweet.

With that in mind, I invite you to become a fan of Under the Arcade on Facebook and follow me @ArcadeDreams on Twitter. I'll do a little live tweeting during the game tonight, and I promise it won't be RT of Baggarly.

See you at the Cove...

Ghosts of Giants Past

Does anybody else finds it rather odd that the Giants now have three guys on their roster who played on three of the past four teams to eliminate them from the postseason: Edgar Renteria ('97 Marlins), Bengie Molina ('02 Angels), and Brad Penny ('03 Marlins)?

Far as I can tell, they don't have anyone who played for the '00 Mets, but they did pay Edgardo Alfonzo to man the hot corner for two long and mostly forgetful seasons.

Ah, well. On to the baseball, shall we?

Tuesday, September 1st
Phillies 1, Giants 0
WP: Hamels (8-8, CG); LP: Sanchez (6-11)
HR: None

Okay, coulda done without seeing that one and had a perfectly fruitful life. What was that I said after the D-Backs series about Doug Davis and the success of lefty pitching against the Giants’ bats? Well you can add Cole Hamels to the list.

There is nothing in this world more frustrating than a 1-0 loss, especially when you never even had a chance to win. Kudos are due to J. Sanchez for continuing his recent roll. It’s obvious just from watching his body language that he’s felt a tremendous boost in confidence since his epic no-no on July 10th.

Now, I’m not one for believing in jinxes, so if you are, you might want to skip ahead a few graphs...

With the acquisition of Brad Penny and his subsequent dominance of a possible first-round opponent (see next entry), one could lead themselves to believe that the postseason rotation would include the newest Giant at the expense of the young southpaw who’s got this stat line since the break: 3.35 ERA; 1.17 WHIP; .190 BAA. (The fact that he’s 3-3 over that period says more about the Giants’ absent-minded offense than his pitching prowess. Wait, I think I’ve said this before...)

They’d be right to go with Penny. After all, the guy’s been to and won a World Series, and there’s no self-respecting Giants fan over the age of ten who wouldn’t remember that. In point of fact, his beat down of the Giants in Game 2 of the LDS that year is really what did them in. But it’s oh so easy to hate on Jose Cruz, Jr. Hell, I do it all the time.

Last week at a house party, my buddy tossed me a can of beer. It went right through my hands and straight to the floor. And what did I say? “Aw, look. I pulled a Jose Cruz Jr.”

I bet everybody who skipped a couple graphs are a little confused right about now.

Butch’s Btw

Don’t tell me this wasn’t embarrassing as all get out.

Stat of the Night

From Baggs: The Giants average 3.58 pitches per plate appearance, which is far and away the lowest in the major leagues.

Quote of the Night

"I thought I was there. It was close." - Andres Torres, who was picked off of first base with nobody out in the top of the ninth in a one run game, on being thrown out at second base

Wednesday, September 2nd
Giants 4, Phillies 0
WP: Penny (1-0); LP: Happ (10-4)
HR: SF - Uribe (9); Rowand (13)

Say, “Hello,” to Brad Penny.

Now say, “Goodbye,” to Brad Penny (at least if you’re wearing Philly colors).

My kinda game, ladies and gents. Quick, painless, victorious, and injury-free, unless you count Panda, who’s been banged up for weeks. And the $100K man was up to the task. If we make it to the promised land by a single game, the signing will have been more than worth it.

I don’t know what Penny was smoking while he was with Boston but I want some of that. This guy looked like the Penny we saw back in ’03. Hard stuff, down in the zone, painting the corners, getting quick outs, and just plain mowing down perhaps the most explosive offense in the game in one of the best launching pads of all time.

Props are due to the bats for getting something going in support that performance, in particular, Juan ”U-RIBE!” and Aaron Rowand, who went back to back in the sixth. Those two jacks put the team at 96 on the season, eclipsing last year’s mark of 94, the lowest output in the Major Leagues. Of course, they had to do it against J.A. Happ, one of the studs of my fantasy rotation. (For some ungodly reason — probably his home split — I decided to sit him for this one, so the Nimbys avoided taking a hit from my real world team.)

Barry Zito was probably salivating over the quartet of runs supplied to his new rotation mate.

Butch’s Btw

Adding to the eeriness I referenced in the lede, watching this series has been like having a front row seat for a performance of “Ghosts of Giants Bullpens Past.” I mean, holy effing sheet, dood. I know relief pitching is a dangerous occupation with a high turnover rate, but this is bordering on ridiculous. Scott Eyre, Tyler Walker, Jack Taschner, oh my! And if you want to take it a step further, I’ll raise you a Pedro Felíz just to sweeten the pot.

Stat of the Night

16 of 28 (57%) plate appearances against Penny ended in three pitches or less. The Major League average is 47%.

Quote of the Night

"There's not a guy who's called a better game for me in my career. I'd grab a pitch that I'd want to throw and he'd throw [the sign for that pitch] down. We were on the same page. I didn't have to shake [him off] a whole lot. That's pretty impressive for never catching me." - said Penny, a 10-year veteran

Thursday, September 3rd
Phillies 2, Giants 1
WP: Pedro Martinez (3-0); LP: Lincecum (13-5); S: Lidge (28)
HR: SF - Velez (4); PHI - Werth (30)

Dirty. Filthy. Nasty. Un-hittable. And that was the losing pitcher.

Somewhere along the line, between the surgeries and the stints on the DL with minor bumps and flares, Pedro Martinez learned how to pitch. He never had to before. The stuff he had in the late ‘90s and early aughts was so electric, he could toss it up there blindfolded and end up throwing a no-hitter. He’s a different man now, an older man, but he’s crafty like nobody’s business, and he showed it in the rubber match against the Orange and Black.

When Tim Lincecum came up in the spring of ‘07, the comparisons drifted to Pedro almost immediately. Their tiny stature and swing-through touch are a unique combination to the point of scaring off coaches and GMs for fear of injury cutting short their usefulness.

Tonight, we got to see them up close and personal. The Kid and The Master. Head-to-head. And it was fun up until the moment we lost. Good to see Timmy return to his double-digit-strikeout form. Sucked to watch our bats go quiet for nine innings following Gino Velez’s first-pitch leadoff home run.

Stat of the Night

One more from Baggs, by way of statistical guru Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse.com: Lincecum became the first Giants pitcher to log seven or more innings, allow four hits or fewer, strike out at least 11 and lose since April 26, 1968, when the Dodgers defeated Ray Sadecki at Candlestick Park.

Quote(s) of the Night

"It's ridiculous how nasty his stuff still is. When you watch him, it's obvious he knows what he's doing out there." - Lincecum on Martinez

"He reminds me a little bit of me, but he's twice as good as me at this time of my career. It took me seven years to win a Cy Young." - Martinez on Lincecum

Series debrief

All things considered, you hate to lose a series when you give up three runs in three games, but it’s not like we’re not used to this from the G-Men this season. Despite the fact that the offense couldn’t produce, the staff held this team to three runs in this park, and you have to imagine they’ve earned the respect of the entire league. And after their anemic performance at the Cove just one month ago, you have to imagine this Phillies team is more than a little intimidated by our young guns.

The Big Payback

Series of the year, game of the year, hit of the year, not necessarily in that order.

Friday, August 28th
Giants 2, Rockies 0
WP: Lincecum (13-4); LP: Jimenez (12-10); S: Wilson (31)
HR: SF - Sandoval (20)

If there’s one player the Giants can’t afford to lose, it’s Tim Lincecum. If there’s one more, it’s Pablo Sandoval. They needed both of them to win this one. They’ll need Panda to win the next two. No doubt about it now. They have to sweep, and they’ve set out to do just that.

Yeah, of course they need to do better with situational hitting. Tell me something I don’t know. It’s as if by writing and talking about it incessantly, folks think they can actually change the status quo. Do they seriously think Carney Lansford, Shawon Dunston, Roberto Kelly, and every other hitting instructor in the dugout hasn’t reamed every man on the roster about this at one point or another? They probably bitch and moan about it all the time. Eventually, we have to accept that this team is chock full of free-swinging pine tar gamblers. They see the ball, they hit the ball. Sometimes they make 27 quiet outs, sometimes they don’t.

That said, it looks as though Gino Velez has righted the ship to some extent, though it makes me smile to think of a guy who’s been up in the Show less a month righting the ship. Truth is, he’d have to spontaneously combust to return to the level he was playing at in the weeks after he got the call.

My inner child smiled a bit when starting catcher pro tempore Eli Whiteside nailed Troy “Hometown Boy” Tulowitzki not once, but twice while trying to steal second base. I’ll admit, I have no idea why I hate the man known as “Tulo,” but he seems to have replaced Matt Holliday as my least favorite Rocky. Maybe it’s the cheer they do for him at Coors. Maybe it’s his cocky home run trot. Maybe it’s just his ass face. Whatever it is, guy bugs is the point, and Whiteside flashed some serious skills that made me forget that Bengie Molina’s still riding the pine.

While Matt Cain’s gone winless since July, Ubaldo Jimenez has been the ace of my fantasy staff. The decision to start him against the Giants was not a hard one to make, particularly after their abysmal performance against him in Colorado in his previous start. But if you don’t mind my saying, it worked out pretty well for all those concerned. The G-Men got the W, Jimenez didn’t get lit up too much, and nobody got hurt. The only better scenario would’ve been eight shutout innings from Jimenez and a ninth inning walk-off victory against the bullpen.

Once again, the Giants recover within 24 hours of a demoralizing defeat and add to the legend of 2009: The Team That Wouldn’t Stay Down.

Stat of the Night

This marked the sixth time Lincecum has pitched at least eight scoreless innings this season. No other pitcher has done that more than three times.

Quote of the Night

"You want to get that game one, then go for tomorrow, then the sweep. Obviously it's tough to sweep a team, but right now is the time to do it, and if we can do that, we can just get a little momentum going." - Brian Wilson, who picked up save #31

Saturday, August 29th
Giants 5, Rockies 3
WP: Zito (9-11); LP: Marquis (14-9); S: Wilson (32)
HR: COL - Hawpe (19); SF - Sandoval (21)

Barry Zito got a curtain call. By now you know that is not a typo. It’s been the talk of the town since he walked off the field in the top of the ninth after surrendering what could have been his first shutout since 2003.

Updating previously-reported stats, ZIto is 4-2 with a 1.77 ERA since the All-Star break. Is that line good enough for $5,000 a pitch? Of course not, but at least it doesn’t suck.

The patience of Giants fans has been tested over the past three years by Peter Magowan’s $126 million impulse buy. (Funny how he only splurged on guys named Barry.) Only now are we witnessing the potential of the stoner with a curveball who left UC-Santa Barbara after his sophomore year and finished up his collegiate career at another party school, USC. To say that I’m rooting for Mr. Zito would be a drastic understatement.

Two years ago, in the Summer of 2007, I attended a three-game series at Chavez Ravine, as I’ve done every year since returning to the place where thing make sense (every year but last year, when something more important got in the way). Zito won the rubber match with seven strong innings, and lost in the postgame haze, I stuck around outside the gates with the autograph hounds.

At the start of the season, I’d bought a new home jersey complete with the All-Star patch and the number of the Giants’ big free-agent acquisition, my fellow Trojan, Barry Zito. Just like the decision to hang around in hostile territory after dark, my choice of jersey was made in a haze. It just made sense at the time. It made even more sense when I found myself wearing it in the parking lot waiting for players to emerge from the clubhouse and struggling to recognize them in street clothes.

Zito came out last and was swarmed immediately. A crowd of twenty to thirty men in their late teens to early fifties, all carrying Sharpies and 8x10 glossies of Zito in action — many of them taken while he was with the A’s — followed him like a pack of rabid dogs to the car he’d driven to the game. He was gracious and signed for everybody, even chatting up the guys who engaged him.

Eventually, he had to stop in the middle of the lot as the crowd got too thick, and I squeaked to the front of the pack. I borrowed the silver pen of a guy with whom I’d struck up an earlier conversation over a cigarette, took the jersey off my back, and passed both to the 126 Million Dollar Man. He thanked me for some kind words about his performance and signed the vertical line of the 7 in his number. I got the jersey back, returned the pen to its owner, and watched him sign something for every single person in that crowd.

Maybe the scene would’ve played out differently if he’d been lit up by the Hated Ones that night, but I don’t think so. The raindrops just seem to roll right off this guy.

The postscript to that story is I’ve had the jersey hanging in my closet untouched ever since and still haven’t procured another home jersey to replace it. Even without Zito’s autograph, I would’ve retired it anyway. That same night, I was struck in the shoulder by a hot dog thrown by a disgruntled fan of the Hated Ones. The attack left mustard stains on my jersey, but I didn’t stress the mess. In fact, I wore it as a badge of honor.

Butch’s Btw

Yes, my sphincter was just as tight as yours while the Rockies rallied in the ninth, but if you think anything’s gonna come easy for this team, you’ve got another thing coming.

Stat of the Night

Zito struck out the side to start a game for the first time since July 29, 2001, against the Kansas City Royals.

Quote of the Night

"I don't think it's gonna be a good night. I'm tired." - Pablo Sandoval, just before he crushed the 50th Splash Hit by a Giant despite playing through a strained right calf and flu-like symptoms

Sunday, August 30th
Giants 9, Rockies 5
WP: Medders (3-1); LP: Betancourt (1-3)
HR: COL - Helton (13), Tulowitzki (24); SF - Rentería GS (4)

Revenge is a dish best served cold. I prefer it with a healthy portion of karma on the side. Edgar Renteria’s grand slam in the bottom of the seventh had plenty of both.

Forget the inability to score with runners at second and third with nobody out in the sixth. Forget working only 23 pitches out of Jason Hammel the first time through the lineup. Forget Ryan Spilborghs and 14 innings of frustration at Coors Field. Edgar made that all go away with one swing of the bat, and if your head didn’t hit the ceiling when it happened, either you’re not a Giants fan, or you were standing outside. I can tell you this much: If you were watching that game, there’s no way you weren’t on your feet.

Among all the heroes to emerge from this improbable season before Sunday, Renteria was almost an afterthought. Maligned by fans for his lofty contract before he’d even had a chance to step into the batter’s box, he’s quietly been a leader in the clubhouse. Recently marginalized by the revelation of bone spurs in his elbow, which will require off-season surgery, he’s responded with his best ABs of the season. Disrespected on a daily basis by the likes of Damon Bruce and Mychael Urban on the 50K-Watt blowtorch, the man finally stuck it up their collective ass.

What a way to end an August in which the Giants went 16-12 and experienced every fathomable emotion and faced an endless string of must-win situations. Much has already been written about the tremendous turnaround of the past week and the miraculous finish to this game in particular, and I won’t add to the redundancy except to say that of all my years as a baseball fan and a fan of the Orange and Black, I’ve never felt as funny as I do right now. There have been many good years, a couple prolonged runs of success, players with exceptional talents, a new ballpark, and several South Bay ballpark initiatives, but for the first time in my adult life I feel as though, with this team, anything is possible.

That said, there’s still one long month of stressful games to negotiate, but after surviving a week like this, Giants fans should be ready for anything.

Some game notes:

• Give it up to Jeremy Affeldt, the workhorse of the Giants’ bullpen, who got himself into a tight spot in the eighth but was man enough to get himself out of it. Hopefully an appearance like this can help him forget his one poor stretch of the season and propel him the rest of the way.

• How ‘bout that Ryan Rohlinger? I’m not discontinuing my membership in the Franny Fan Club, but that was one crucial hit for a almost-rook still searching for a batting average. And how classic was it to watch him relive the entire AB with Roberto Kelly once he got to first. I can hear Roberto now, “Nice hit, kid. Now shut up and pay attention.”

• The wait is never a long one for a visiting player to look awful goofy trying to defend right field at 24 Willie Mays Plaza. Even when an out is recorded, the play usually looks so bad it makes Giants fans appreciate guys like Randy Winn and Nate Schierholtz even more.

Stat of the Day: Former Giants Edition

Rockies backstop and past San Francisco fan favorite Yorvit Torrealba singled in the eighth to extend his career-best hitting streak to 10 games.

Quote of the Day: Full Circle Edition

"If you have ambitions of playing baseball in October, when you get knocked down you've got to stand back up.” - Rockies Manager Jim Tracy

Series debrief

There’s a lot to be said for chemistry. Can a team win without the players going out for coffee? Sure it can, and Giants fans need look back no further than 2002 to know that’s the truth. If you’ve got the talent top to bottom of a team like the Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals or Phillies, you can live with a little bad blood in the clubhouse. When you’re scratching and clawing to stay in the playoff race on a team playing far beyond it’s career stat lines, chemistry is everything.

A team of haters would have imploded after a game like the Giants experienced a little less than one week ago in Colorado. A clubhouse full of prima donnas would have eaten itself alive. A chartered plane full of spoiled brats, no matter how talented, no matter how overpaid, would have folded the season and made reservations for Pebble on October the 5th.

This team rebounded with a resiliency only a tight-knit brotherhood of professionals can produce. They trumped everyone’s expectations once again and shot themselves back into the pennant hunt like a Saturn 5 rocket.

P.S. Brian Sabean just pulled a Brad Penny out of his ass to lock down that five hole in the rotation, so it looks like the MadBum faithful will have to wait ‘til next year. Meantime, Butch is ticked because he figured off days would allow the No. 5 spot to be skipped twice before his trip to L.A. for the final series with the Hated Ones. That would line up Lincecum, Zito and Cain to pitch those three contests, which still might go a long way toward determining the season’s endgame. With this addition the starters for the L.A. trip should be Sanchez, Penny and Lincecum. Not bad, but we just caught a glimpse of what the big three can do in a short series.

Franny Watch: Special Edition

As a vociferous Giants fan and a graduate of Bellarmine College Prep, it’s been difficult for me to deal with the seemingly endless vacillation of Kevin Frandsen’s career with the Orange and Black.

The 12th-round pick who received only one college scholarship offer — and proceeded to break batting records at San Jose State — has fought tooth and nail to carve out a place in this organization, but as beloved as he is by fans and coaches alike, no matter how much talent he displays at each and every level, a consistent spot on the 25-man roster has been near-impossible to come by.

This all could have ended last year had Franny’s Achilles tendon not snapped like a twig during Spring Training. He had a lock on the second base gig thanks to a .295 average over the final two months of 2007, spent almost exclusively in the starting nine thanks to Ray Durham’s gimpy knees. (Frandsen hit .370/.427/.479 in 73 September ABs.)

One freak injury and a lost season later, and the world’s biggest Giants fan finds himself the odd man out, most recently demoted in favor of Fresno Flavor of the Month, Matt Downs. The former Spartan’s been up and down three times this year alone, wearing a groove in the asphalt on Pacheco Pass. He was recalled for three days in June to replace Travis Ishikawa while the first baseman was on the bereavement list.

There are many excuses with how Frandsen is handled, so much so that’s it’s clear the team understands the level of interest from South Bay fans who want to see their hometown boy make good. The most common excuse goes something like, “He’s just not getting enough at-bats at this level, so he’d be better served starting every day in Triple-A.”

This, of course, leads one to ask the question: Why isn’t Frandsen getting a serious look at the major league level?

Well, the most obvious answer would be his lack of production at the plate in a big league uniform this season. In 16 games, he’s had 39 ABs and collected five hits for a robust .128 average. Looking only at those numbers would have you believe Johnny LeMaster would make a better second bagger for the 2009 Giants. But when you’re picking up starts to spell your teammates or coming in as a pinch hitter after cooling on the bench for eight innings, you can’t say you’re getting quality time to shine.

And it’s not like the kid has anything left to learn with the Grizzlies. Check out his line in 65 games at Triple-A this season:

.304/.354/.451, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 39 R, 20 XBH in 257 ABs

With Manny Burriss on the DL to close out the season, Matt Downs looking like a flash in the pan, and Juan Uribe one poor week away from becoming a pumpkin, there is no reason Kevin Frandsen should not be getting a serious look at second base for this team. He’s hit the ball hard all year, really picked up his glove game — even at short, where he struggled in the shadow of Omar Vizquel — and played with the kind of passion you rarely see once a guy straps it on in the Show.

Of course, all of this mess could’ve been moot had Brian Sabean not gone out and paid what now appears to be far too much to acquire Edgar Renteria’s veteran presence for the shortstop position. I dare anyone to prove to me that a Burriss-Frandsen double play combo wouldn’t have worked out just as well for the Giants as Renteria-Uribe (and I say that as Edgar’s fantasy owner and Uribe’s biggest fan for the Turning Point moment in Seattle).

In my mind, any success this year is icing on the cake of player development. That this team is in contention a year or two early only speaks to the talent we’re already seeing from the under-30 set. You don’t have to look much farther than Molina’s poor performance since April and the inconsistency of “gamers” like Rowand, Winn, and Renteria to know who’s been carrying this team on their unlikely run toward a pennant.

If this year is s’posed to be about a youth movement, then let’s have a youth movement. If the Giants get to October baseball, they’ll have as good a shot as anybody, no matter who’s playing up the middle.

IMHO,
Butch