Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

With one more day for Sabes to pull a rabbit out of his ass before the non-waiver deadline, I’ll reserve all commentary on this week’s wheeling and dealing for a full recap tomorrow night.

In other news...

Monday, July 27th
Giants 4, Pirates 2
WP: Lincecum (11-3, CG, 15 K); LP: Maholm (6-5)
HR: None

See my live blog for notes from this game.

Another gorgeous, foggy night at the Cove. Timmy had electric stuff, nearly untouchable, and the offense came through with early runs to give him a cushion. My fantasy stud Matt Cain has more wins and a lower ERA, but his teammate could sprint right past him in the Cy Young voting on the back of dynamic performances like this.

Quote of the Night

"If you don't give my old team a whooping, I'm going to beat your (expletive deleted)." - Barry Bonds to Tim Lincecum prior to the game

Tuesday, July 28th
Giants 3, Pirates 2
WP: Romo (3-1); LP: Morton (2-3); S: Wilson (26)
HR: SF - Velez (1)

What do ya know? Another Zito start, another lackluster offensive performance. Anyone familiar with baseball’s sick sense of humor knew as soon as “The Other” Barry was pulled for Serg with two out in the sixth that the G-Men would come up in the bottom of the inning and break the 1-1 tie. (Or that the Bucs would explode for five runs and put the game out of reach. Either way, a bum night for Baked Ziti.)

He was obviously frustrated with being yanked, but one thing you can say about Zito is he keeps his emotions to himself and sticks to the clichés when it comes time to talk to the media.

The 0-for-4 debut of Ryan Garko (nickname needed) was overshadowed by the hitting display of one Eugenio Velez, who’s putting his mark on this series in a major way. His big-boy dinger to the Arcade in the second and double in the sixth would’ve sealed the deal had Brabndon Medders stranded a Jeremy Affeldt baserunner in the eighth. As it worked out, Affeldt lost his streak of 28 scoreless innings — over 81 days! — and the insurance run knocked in by the Panda Express in the seventh proved to be the difference.

With all the talk of Freddy Sanchez swapping clubhouses before he leaves San Francisco, the outburst from Velez was more than welcome, but it provided a perfect example of why this team needs an upgrade at the cornerstone. If this guy is the best thing they’ve had at the position all season, a three-time All-Star and former batting champion would be a significant upgrade.

P.S. Looks like the Big Unit has himself a rotator cuff tear. Not a good prospect for getting him back in the rotation this year. Sabes might go looking for another arm, unless they’ve got a backup plan for “The Big” Sadowski, who seems more and more lost out there with every start.

Quote of the Night

"If you keep your eye on the ball, everything's going to be fine... If you play hard, something's going to happen... I just have to play my game." - Eugenio Velez, who must’ve taken cliché tips from Crash Davis while in the minors

Stat of the Night

The victory lifted the Giants back into a tie with Colorado atop the Wild Card standings and improved their record at the Cove to 33-15 (.688), moving them ahead of Boston (34-16, .680) for best in the Majors.

Wednesday, July 29th
Giants 1, Pirates 0 (10)
WP: Wilson (3-4); LP: Capps (2-6)
HR: None

Ah, a fantasy owner’s dilemma: Pick players from your favorite team and you can celebrate twice as hard when they succeed. But you suffer twice as much when they don’t perform. This game was one of mixed emotions for my fake team, as much as it was for my “real” one.

Matt Cain’s been my top-of-the-rotation guy since day one. Brian Wilson has combined with Heath Bell and George Sherrill to give me the league lead in saves — by a comfortable margin. When Wilson saves a Cain victory, I score big time. When Wilson blows a Cain lead, I don’t get much sleep.

When Cain throws nine innings of shutout ball, I’d normally get a huge points payoff. When he cedes to Wilson, who gets the W in a 1-0 victory after Randy Winn sneaks one inside the first-base line in the 10th, I do very well, but there’s that nagging voice in my head that wishes the G’s could’ve pushed one across just an inning or two sooner.

I try to ignore the voice and tell myself to be happy for 10 scoreless innings to shrink my team ERA, which has ballooned of late thanks to the not-so-fine performances of Kevin Correia and Jeremy Guthrie. But I’m a Giants fan, after all. We want the world and we want it... now.

Quote of the Day

"It's nice to strike out a lot of guys, but I figured I'd waste a lot of pitches." - Cain, who doesn’t talk like he’s only 24 (He’ll be 25 on October 1st.)

Stat of the Day

Cain lowered his ERA to 2.12, moving him ahead of Arizona’s Dan Haren for the National League lead.

Series Debrief

Pundits are bound to say this was a weak showing from the Giants. On the surface, I’d agree with them. Sweeping a lowly Pirates club in the process of shedding all its Major League talent while scoring only eight runs over three games does not compute to a landmark series.

But when you consider the Giants struggles with the Bucs over the past few years — 6-16 since 2005 prior to this series — this sweep is quite the psychological boost, for the fans if not the players. And when you have the hottest team in the league coming to town, you need all the boost you can get.

Meanwhile, the Hated Ones are grappling with their first full-fledged losing streak of the season. They dropped their third straight for the first time this season on Tuesday (10-0 in St. Louis), and yesterday blew a lead in the bottom of the 11th and lost to the Cards in 15.

This is the kind of demoralizing stretch that the Giants have already fought through more than once. If you come out of it with all limbs intact, you end up a stronger team. But if you hit your first speed bump this deep into the season, it could cause quite the crisis of confidence, especially in the midst of a trip like the Hated Ones are on now.

I'm not the team shrink. I'm just sayin'.

Live Blogging Pirates @ Giants

First pitch, 7:17 p.m.

The boys just took the field. There was a short but sweet ceremony to honor Giants majority share holder Sue Burns before the game. Tasteful, with the whole team on the field. A full youth orchestra played the national anthem. Did I mention the former Giant who made an appearance to catch the ceremonial first pitch?

Now, it's Timmy time!

7:23 p.m.

Check out Curtis Pashelka's pregame notes filling in for Baggs.

Lincecum strikes out two in dominating fashion but needs help from new callup Velez on a diving catch to end the inning. Noah tells me I should mention the thong the girl in the next row is wearing. It is, indeed, pretty hot.

7:32 p.m.

I can't express in words how sweet it looks to track a Panda drive from the Club Level. Very nice. We upgraded on the way in by trading four at the back in 104 for a pair in 208. We've got a straight-ahead view up the first-to-second base line. Funny how I've never been scammed by scalpers, yet everyone else seems to think it's common practice.

Anyway: G's 1, Bucs 0

7:34 p.m.

There goes the no hitter.

7:49 p.m. End of the 2nd

I've got some kids behind me doing play-by-play that's good enough for radio in most major baseball markets I've vistited, Particularly San Diego.

Major props to Andres Torres for bailing out Timmy, who didn't do badly at the plate with the bases juiced and nobody out — though he did just enough to hit into a runless double play. Either way, I'm not gonna complain about the results.

A freaky play just added another run. Looks like a short liner kicked off Jones in right center and was caught barehanded by a diving Delwyn Young... and they called it a hit. Winn thrown out in the confusion, but I'll take it. You'll probably see that on SportsCenter.

G's 4, Bucs 0

8:16 p.m. Garko trade

Baggarly just jumped on to his blog in relief of his reliever, Curtis, to tell us that Brian Sabean just wheeled a deal and may not be done...

Meanwhile, Lincecum is dealing as well, and the Peanut gallery behind me couldn't be giddier. Strikeout, throw-out double play. Was he out? Sorry. My MLBTV.com free trial expired last week.

8:38 p.m.

Sure enough, I start talking about the game, and Timmy goes out and throws up an inning like that. Noah quips, "He's been hanging out with Zito too much." Let's hope sixth inning implosions aren't contagious.

Meanwhile, Russ and Lon are behind me tearing it up. Second and third, no out... "Lincecum needs a strikeout." 0-2 count... "He should waste one here." Double off the bricks... "Tough bounce, but Randy Winn knows the yard. No problem."

G's 4, Bucs 2

8:44 p.m.

Some might ask, whither do you live blog? I prefer to go down.

8;52 p.m.

I don't know much, but I know that Bonds would've had none chance on that one. I also know that Velez's dive was all style points. Looks like they're letting Timmy hit. Just in case Kruk and Kuip haven't brought it up, the Giants' single game strikeout record is 16, set by Christy Mathewson in October of 1904 and matched — I believe — by Jason Schmidt a few years ago. Research!

9:01. p.m.

Every time I see a baby at the park, all dolled up in Orange and Black, I get a little weepy eyed. But not because it's cute or anything. These are tears of empathy. I know what this kid's gonna go through, and it kills me a little bit. I look into his wide eyes and I see years of frustration, game after game of torment, and eventual resignation to the vagaries of being a Giants fan...

But who wants to hear all that? Panda's up.

9:12 p.m.

Let it be known, Jack Wilson is putting on a clinic at shortstop. The fog rolled in during Panda's last AB, and one of our young neighbors screamed: "The baseball spirits are upon us!" After Pablo beat out an amazing, diving, hurling play by Wilson, Bengie went ahead and grounded into that double play Noah and I called about three innings ago. Eh, he was due.

With the bullpen empty, looks like Timmy's coming out to pitch the ninth. Don't know how wise that is, but if he strikes out the side, he ties a team record. There are times I'd like to be a manager, and this isn't one of them.

9:17 p.m. LAST LIVE POST

Interesting tactic from Grabow, trying to freeze Lincecum by walking two and bringing out the grounds crew to fix a hole in the mound. Timmy's hole.

Lincecum came out and dug the hole out again. Love this kid. The crowd's on it's feet. Respect.

Gotta run to the car afterwards, so nothing more until after this is over.

Final score: Giants 4, Pirates 2

Thanks to everyone who paid attention during this little experiment, all three of you. I gotta say the whole live-blogging thing is a bit distracting from the actual event, and one definitely sticks out like a sore thumb with a MacBook in their lap at a ballgame — though maybe not so much on the Club Level. But they offer the free WiFi, and we lap it up as happy 21st Century consumers.

Big win for the team, especially on the night they remembered their Team Mom. Huge game for Lincecum — btw, the two runs he gave up were unearned thanks to a Renteria error. Crafty deal from Sabes to hold onto prized talent and still grab a healthy corner infield bat. What this means for Ishi is anyone's guess. Probably a glorified pinch hitting role. Time to finally drop him from the ol' fantasy team...

In case you were wondering, the "Home Run King" stayed until the final out.

As the Worm Turns

Recapping the weekender in Pittsburgh...

Friday, July 17
Pirates 2, Giants 1 (14 innings)
WP: Meek (1-0); LP: Howry (0-5)
HR: PIT - G. Jones 2; SF - none

Oh, the pain of being Bob Howry. The offense goes 0-6 with RISP and fails to plate an earned run over 14 innings, but who gets all the blame from post-game callers and Saturday morning pundits on the 50,000-watt juggernaut? Even after this outing, Howry sports a 3.55 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, very respectable numbers for a reliever, especially one consigned to entering into losing efforts or extra-inning logjams such as this. But because he always seems to be the guy on the hill when the other team walks off (hence the 0-5 mark), he tends to take all the heat, even though he hardly deserves it. Don't forget that career minor-leaguer Garrett Jones — on whom the Giants had none book — also took Timmy(!) deep in the first. But Giants fans are likely more concerned with another road L than the symmetry of Jones' bookend dingers.

Quote of the Day

"You're not going to win games without a hit with runners in scoring position unless you hit the ball out of the ballpark." - Bochy

Saturday, July 18
Pirates 2, Giants 0
WP: Morton (2-2); LP: Zito (5-10); S: Capps (20)
HR: None

The Giants can brag about their two ten-game winners, but now they have ther first ten-game loser, and like Bob Howry, Barry Zito can make the argument that he deserves better. Sure, the guy earns $5K per pitch, but he's (finally) posting some pretty decent numbers in his third year with the Orange and Black. The former Trojan has been slipping of late, but this game was more reminiscent of his April and May performance than his June swoon, and despite the loss, it bodes well for a strong second half. He still gets the lowest run support in the majors — a paltry 1.68 per start.

Once again, the offense fizzled against an unimpressive pitcher. The good news is they only went 0-for-4 with RISP. The bad news is, they only had four at bats with RISP. Even more tragic, two of those at bats came in the ninth when they put the tying runs at second and third with only one out. But Travis "Hapa" Ishikawa struck out and first half hero Juan "The Dictator" Uribe bounced feebly into a force play. Just another dreadful day at PNC Park, where the Giants have dropped their last five games and nine of 11 going back to 2006.

Quote of the Day

"I definitely need to have a better plan at the plate." - Ishikawa

Sunday, July 19
Giants 4, Pirates 3
WP: Cain (11-2); LP: Duke (8-9); S: Wilson (24)
HR: PIT - Moss

Breakfast with the Giants began on a sombre note as Kruk and Kuip relayed the passing of Giants majority shareholder Sue Burns in the early morning hours Sunday. She had been diagnosed with late-stage cancer last week, and her sudden loss reverberated throughout the organization. Bochy told the team during BP. Randy Winn led the team in prayer. Then, the Giants went out and won one for their "Team Mom."

Matt Cain put any doubts about his bruised elbow to rest with a dominant performance — a Brandon Moss home run notwithstanding — and the offense finally sprung to life with four straight doubles and a pair of sac flies in the top of the sixth to chase All-Star starter Zach Duke. Given their recent history, a sweep at the hands of the lowly Bucs would not have been surprising. This was, after all, the Giants first win in Pittsburgh since 2007 (a Noah Lowry victory). Still, a W on this getaway day was absolutely critical to keep them atop the N.L. Wild Card race and energize the players for the rest of this 10-game trip.

Franny Watch: Bellarmine/San Jose State product (and man crush of yours truly) Kevin Frandsen got the start at second base and collected his first extra base hit of the season with a double in the ninth to raise his BA to a blistering .128. He's 5-for-39 on the season.

Quote of the Day

"The Giants attack first pitches very well, and you have to make quality pitches from the first pitch of the at-bat." - Pirates starter Zach Duke

Stat of the Day

Matt Cain is a perfect 10-0 this season when he receives three or more runs of support.

On Deck

It's off to Hot-lanta for a brutal four-game set. Let's see which Jonathan Sanchez decides to show up tonight against Tommy Hanson...