Smoke and Mirrors

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Let's see if you recognize this pattern: Team A falls behind early by a run or two and can't get anything done against Team B's starter. Around the seventh inning, Team B has to go to the bullpen, and Team A suddenly rallies to steal the game. If you identified this as the Giants' modus operandi at home in 2011, you are correct. But the same narrative could also be used to describe the three losses the Giants absorbed on their most recent road trip to the American Midwest.

The Giants simply aren't used to blowing leads, and we as fans are not used to seeing them blown. It's disconcerting when the best bullpen in baseball doesn't deliver the goods. Now that Brian Wilson has been elevated to a godlike status not just by the Giants and their fans but by the marketing execs at Major League Baseball™ who know a good cow to milk when they see it — please to consult the Ubaldo Jimenez mini license plate spot ("Zander?") — the ninth inning has a cone of pride and ego enveloping it. And when the cone is pierced, it lets loose a primal roar of frustration.

Countdown to Scottsdale #13: Sergio Romo, RP

I sing the song of Sergio Romo, quickly becoming one of my favorite Giants. That he's reached such heights in my hierarchy is a testament to his gregarious nature and my immeasurable capacity to forgive — though not necessarily forget. Romo locked down the 7th inning slot in '09 and quickly slid into 8th inning work in 2010 once it was obvious that Jeremy Affeldt was not getting it done like he had the year before. When the Giants rolled into Los Angeles for a mid-April series, Sergio was working on a clean sheet.

On April 18th, I left shortly after the final gavel of the California Democratic Convention and arrived at Chavez Ravine just before first pitch. I'd seen the boys get shellacked on Friday night but missed a three-RBI day from Tim Lincecum in Saturday's 9-0 shutout. I was also working on a three-game schnide in L.A., so it's safe to say I was in need of a W. My old college buddy Barry Zito was in the midst of a perfect opening month, and he twirled a gem that day, getting us deep into the game with a 1-0 lead thanks to a Juan U-RIBE! home run. But when he walked Garrett Anderson with one out in the 8th, Bruce Bochy pointed to the bullpen and brought in Sergio Romo. Joe Torre countered by pinch hitting with Manny Ramirez. On a 1-2 pitch, Romo threw one of his signature pie dish sliders. Only it didn't slide. Instead, it ran right into the sweet spot of ManRam's bat. Game over.

That was the beginning of one of the roughest patches a reliever's ever endured. A week and a half later, Romo took the extra-inning loss in the now-infamous "Jayson Werth Bloop Double" game. Less than a week later, he surrendered a three-run, game-tying jack to Dan Uggla in Florida. Three days after that, he gave up a game-winning two-run shot to future Hall of Famer Rod Barajas at Citi Field in Queens. Two days later, he vultured a W after allowing all three of the runners he inherited from Dan Runzler to score prior to Aaron Rowand's winning home run in one of the most epic games of the season.

You wouldn't fault a guy for getting a little discouraged after a month like that. And maybe Serge was bummin' deep down inside, but he never let it show. He kept the same intensity, the same drive, the same smile beaming out from his über-friendly grill. And by the end of the year, he was back to being one of the most reliable arms in the Giants' pen. In Game 162, Sergio Romo was the penultimate link in a team relief effort that ended with Brian Wilson, as the bullpen saved the day for Jonathan Sanchez and the season for the Orange and Black.

His postseason was certainly one to forget, but not everybody's ready for the brightest of bright lights. I've got a feeling if he gets another chance this year, he'll represent the Left Coast with aplomb. Come what may, it's gonna be a big smile following the ongoing Twitter dialogue he's having with his beard. To quote Andy Baggarly: "Too much awesome."

Thanks, Sergio.

Best. Waiver. Claim. Ever.

Cody Ross was an afterthought. Cody Ross was a cast-off. Cody Ross was a Giant killer. Cody Ross has never been tagged on this blog. Cody Ross was the last guy you'd ever expect to be the Giants' NLDS MVP. But he was. And that's kinda how this series went. Brooks Conrad had become a household name in Hot-lanta with an epic debut after a decade in the minors. Dude hit two grand slams in like a week and was on the verge of becoming a local god. Then he made three errors in one game, and his highlight reel got boos from a less-than-full house in his home park. That's kinda how this series went. Matt Cain and Dirty Sanchez pitched absolute gems and came away with workouts, yet Sergio Romo has an unblemished postseason record of 1-0. The Braves were a virtual MASH unit for the better part of the series, yet they fought to make every game a one-run sphincter shrinker. Los Gigantes couldn't score with one out and the bases loaded, yet they could and did score twice with a runner at first, down to their final strike. That's kinda how this series went. And now, it's on to the next one. The next round of torture. The next chance for greater glory...

BTW...

> Can we get a "Hallelujah!" for Madison Bumgarner? Talk about full circle. Remember last year, and even Spring Training, when everyone was wondering, "What happened to MadBum?" What happened to that heat we've all heard about? What happened to that bulldog intensity? I hope y'all got your answer last night. Kid was off the chains good in a pressure situation on the road in front of 45,000 red foam tomahawks and an equal number of motivated hometown fans. If there were any doubts about holding my fellow Trojan Barry Zito off the roster, I think they've been answered. And then some...

> I freaking love Javier Lopez, but I love him for what he is: a LOOGY. For the uninitiated, that's a Lefty One-Out Guy. His two K's of Jason Heyward in Games 3 & 4 were the highlights of my week. Yet a postgame show does not pass my ears without a caller begging for Javy to see extended use against righthanders, even pitching full innings of setup. Of course, none of these yokels comes armed with the facts. And when I say "facts", I mean statistics: In the 2010 regular season, Javy Lopez (the pitcher) posted a .162/.250/.242 against lefties and a — wait for it — .306/.361/.405 against righties. I rest my case...

> Santiago Casilla. What the f***? Where did that come from? And where did Bochy get the brass balls to keep him out there for more than one inning? I think it's safe to say our manager has found himself in the postseason. There have been some serious head scratchers (more in a moment), but for the most part, he's rolling 7's, and he couldn't have expected Romo to wet the bed so brazenly...

> Okay, enough Bochy love. Let's indulge in a little second-guessing. It started with replacing Sandoval with Fontenot in Game 2, only to turn around and pinch hit Renteria for Fontenot an inning later. Didn't come back to haunt him because RIck Ankiel mercifully ended things before either bench was exhausted. But it surfaced again yesterday, when Bochy inexplicably pinch hit an ice cold Aaron Rowand for Fontenot against the Braves flamethrowing bullpen, knowing full well he'd have to burn another player to replace Fontenot on the infield. Enter Edgar Renteria, who made what could have been a game-changing error in the bottom of the 8th, shortly after entering the game. If Lopez hadn't woven his magic on Heyward, we could be talking about Game 5 tomorrow. My point is, it seems like Bochy's managing a 25-man roster like he would a 40-man September squad, burning through position players like Republicans spew fear and lies. So far, it hasn't bit him in the a**, but when you get away from yourself in the heat of the postseason, it's only a matter of time before it does. Just ask Dusty...

> Hats off to Bobby Cox. Dude was, is, and always will be a class act, and I was very proud to see our boys take a step back from their dance on Ted's infield to honor a man who's been managing longer than most of them have been alive. I resented the result of our '93 slugfest, so I was gratified by our LDS victories '02 and again this time around, but I'll never take a swipe at an honorable competitor. Enjoy your retirement, Bobby. Here's hoping you don't go crazy next April...

War Giants. Beat the Phillies. NLCS preview coming soon...

A Sober Assessment

We should be up 2-0. That much is a given. But it's pointless to play the blame game. I took a day to absorb the loss and internalize all of my feelings, and of all people, F.P. summed it up on the postgame Sports Phone Friday night: You give me Brian Wilson with the lead and Buster Posey with one out and the bases juiced, and I say, "Thank you very much, may I please have another?" The loss was not unfortunate, nor was it undeserved, nor was it entirely unexpected. What was unfortunate was Matt Cain watching another stout start turned into a workout by accidental bullpen bowel movements. What was undeserved was the heat that Wilson and Posey took despite a season of top flight performance. What was unexpected was that we had this chance at all. We knew it would not be easy. For this team, it seemingly never is. Yes, they've rattled off a few 9-2 and 11-3 victories, but for the most part, they play sphincter-tightening nail-biters. They torture us by snatching defeat from the gaping jaws of victory, and then resurrect themselves like the Phoenix the very next day. They are the Teflon Team. They are our worst nightmare. We root root root for them to the bitter end, though we know the end will always be bitter, never sweet, not so long as this dreaded cloud hangs over our beautiful ballpark like a foggy shroud. What did we do? We tolerated the circus, but we were not alone. The gods must forgive us, or they must be appeased. Shall we sacrifice an order of garlic fries to the demons of McCovey Cove? Maybe a Cha-Cha Bowl would do the trick... It's funny how well 2002 prepared us for moments like this. I was watching Ken Burns' The Tenth Inning the other night while blowing off three days of NO GIANTS BASEBALL! Barry Bonds is obviously the centerpiece, and they focus on the '02 Series. Who wouldn't? If I were an Angels fan, that would be a seminal moment in my life. For us, it's a seminal moment in our downward spiral to collective insanity. But I was kinda surprised by how little it affected me to watch the whole massacre replayed like a WWII news reel. I was just as surprised by my calm and sober demeanor while watching Game 2 of this NLDS play out before my eyes. Have I finally internalized our Left Coast Curse to the point that any loss is insignificant when compared to the crippling horror of Game 6 in '02? If so, I suppose it's just a natural defense mechanism, preventing me from dying of an early heart attack, allowing me a few more years to see if we can outlive the sins that put us in this predicament.

BTW...

> I'm a zero waste kinda guy. That's why it pisses me off to see starts like Cain's thrown to the wolves. It's also why I'm particularly bummed for Pat Burrell. Dude lit the house on fire with his first-inning jack, throwing up a three spot behind Shotgun to get the game started. I think it's safe to say most of the 44K in attendance felt just like I did: It's all good. We got this. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans and all that jazz...

> If you want to b lame someone, why not Sergio Romo, who came in amped up and left without retiring a single batter, setting Weezy up for the eventual fail. I don't often like to single guys out in the 'Pen, but that was not, as they say, getting it done in crunch time...

> Some quick keys to today's game: The bats have to step up early and often. Yes, I know, I say this every game, but that doesn't make it any less true, especially with Dirty Sanchez on the mound. Dude needs the love or he loses focus. We've also gotta play tight D behind him. I don't want to see any "Olé!" out there. Just good, clean baseball. My fearless prediction: Giants 4-3.

Gotta get back to my pasta sauce. Don't want it to stick. Enjoy the ballgame...

123 down. 39 to go.

I've said it before, but so much in baseball can hinge on one pitch. Last night, the pitch that stood out was the changeup low and out of the strike zone that Pablo Sandoval absolutely nutted into the Cardinals bullpen in right center. It didn't give the Giants a lead, but it did extend their lead. It was a solo shot, so Jake Westbrook avoided a crooked number. But in the context of the season, that pitch and the swing Sandoval put on it meant a whole heckuva lot. Baggs has already opined on the subject here, so I won't regurgitate his stats and observations. From the perspective of a fan who watches most of his games from the couch, it's clear that Pablo is slowly but surely becoming the Panda once again. In his last ten games, he's hitting over .300 with four jacks and five RBI. Two days ago, he laced his first homer from the right side of the plate since September '09. And last night, he fell behind 0-2, fought back to a full count, and crushed a pitcher's pitch outa the park. It's upsetting that his defense has seemingly waned as his offense has improved, but honestly, I'll take that trade off. The Giants have been among the best defensive teams in the league all year, and when they score four runs, they're virtually unbeatable. They're not a perfect team, so they have to distribute their resources as efficiently as possible. Am I ready to say that Kung Fu Pandamonium has returned? Not quite. Too small a sample size. But it's a nice sample nonetheless, and it's encouraging that it's happening at just the right time. As the pitching staff begins to tire in the season's final weeks, we'll need some offense to back them up. Sandoval, Sanchez, Burrell, Huff, Posey, and yes, even Guillen need to be on top of their respective games, because if we can't count on Timmy, we need to mash...

BTW...

> How freaking awesome was it to watch Madison Bumgarner go right after The Great Pujols? Albert progressively got a better look at MadBum's stuff, eventually blasting one out to deeeeeep left center after Andres Torres robbed him of a double at the centerfield wall. But Bumgarner stole the show tonight. I dare anyone to prove to me he's not the ace of the staff right now...

> Sergio Romo seems to have secured the eighth inning gig — for now. No telling if his mini-implosion last night will affect Bochy's late-inning choices, which are already due up for review with Jeremy Affeldt's return to a clean bill of health...

> The sequel to last night's Kung Fu Panda Redux was the Return of the Huff Daddy. Nice game for a guy who's my age yet looks twice as old. And according to Baggs, it was all my buddy Pat Burrell's fault. Be sure to check out the off-day story on these two and the blog that followed. Classic stuff...

> I don't know about you, but seeing Pedro Felíz in another uniform always makes me feel... grateful...

> I have no problem with José Guillen wearing the sacred No. 6, provided he produces with his bat and throws out at least a half a dozen guys trying to stretch singles into doubles. It's obvious his legs are not what they used to be, but that's nothing new for a Giant wearing the 6 jersey. I know I said some nasty things, but so far, so good for the newest Gigante...