The middle infield for the San Francisco Giants has received a facelift for 2009.  While 2008 was a year of unproven rookies and veterans in decline, this season proves to be somewhat more exciting as a tale of two positions. 

At shortstop, Omar Vizquel is gone, replaced by big dollar pickup Edgar Renteria.  While this move caught a bit of guff from the faithful, it could only be an offensive improvement on the 2008 combination of the aforementioned Vizquel and Brian Bocock.   True, Renteria’s numbers for Detroit in 2008 were below his career average (though they did improve in the second half of the season).   However, rumors are that he came to camp in shape and career averages suggest that he tends to be more comfortable hitting in the National League.   Again, it would take a complete collapse for this move to blow up in the Giants faces.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the diamond, the ground isn’t quite as settled at second base.   Unlike 2008, there is no veteran presence at this position.  It will be officially a three way fight between Eugenio Velez, Kevin Frandsen, and Emmanuel Burriss.  Frandsen is the more solid all-round of the trio and should have the inside track going into spring training.   He probably would have started in 2008 last season if not for the achilles tendon injury that sidelined him for the season.  This is his chance to break out.  He is a hard nosed player who will give you the intangibles.  However, the position is not his, as yet and he will be pushed by second year man Emmanuel Burriss.   Burriss played well at shortstop and second base after being thrown into the fire following slow starts by Velez and Bocock.   It will be interesting to see how he does this season as primarily a back up.  Rumor has it that he will probably get some reps in AAA if the Giants get concerned about him to getting stale on the bench.  If he does play, he’s a speedster who plays solid defense.  No real power to speak of.  What Burriss lacks with the stick, Velez showed off last season (especially toward the end).  However, less than spectacular defense will probably keep him out of the starting lineup.  He shouldn’t be starting.  If he is, then look forward to a long season. 

Free agent minor league signees Juan Uribe and Rich Aurilia should be able to fit nicely in spots in 2009.  However, if either is starting regular, then see the final line in the last paragraph for the probable outcome. 

The San Francisco front office finally heard my anguished screams this offseason.  While the more vocal wing of the Giants fan base shouted for radical moves (signing Sabathia, Man-Ram, Burrell, and/or Dunn.  Cain for Fielder, Cain for Hardy, Cain for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the nation of Lithuania, and a dozen Domino’s death disks), Sabean and company at long last decided to have a little faith in the young players by making minimal changes via free-agency. 

The signing of future hall of Randy Johnson stands head and shoulders above the rest of the transactions (no pun intended….really).  The veteran replaces the underachieving 2008 back end of the rotation (Correia, Misch, and Hennessey), bringing an elder statesman who can still hurl the ball 90+ miles per hour.  That can’t hurt.

In the ‘perhaps you overspent, but we’ll give you the benefit of the doubt’ department lies the 2 year $18 million contract tossed to Edgar Renteria.  While I was against this at first, it has actually grown on me.  Barring a complete and unforseeable falling apart, it will be an immense offensive upgrade over either Bocock or Vizquel at the position.  And, though I love Emmanuel Burriss, perhaps it’s better for him to be over at second base, thrashing it out with Frandsen and Velez for playing time. 

Another place where the Giants upgraded wisely and precisely is the bullpen.  The additions of Jeremy Affeldt and Bobby Howry, coupled with minor league deals tendered to both Ramon Ortiz and Justin Miller, should serve to strengthen the bullpen over the malaise found at times in 2008.  The key is, if you can’t get the lead to Brian Wilson, he can’t drop the hammer.  That should be better now.

And that leads us to another strong point in this offseason.  Rather than breaking the bank on a high money free agent, the team snapped up a string of seasoned veterans at bargain basement rates.  ‘Kinda’ sluggers Josh Phelps and Juan Uribe will come to spring training, minor league deals in hand, and should be ready to step in should a youngster falter.  Ditto Rich Aurilia, leading the ‘re-signed’ category of this year’s free agents.  

The ninth inning was a drama filled one last night as the Florida Marlins scored three runs to tie the game and then the Giants scored the winning run on a Bengie Molina sac fly in the bottom of the ninth inning. It would have been a terrible way to end the game had the Marlins came all the way back after struggling most of the game at the plate against the Giants pitchers.

Molina however was there to save the day with his rbi sac fly to center that scored Dave Roberts for the winning run. Molina also had a rbi single in the seventh inning for the Giants as he finished with two rbi. Randy Winn hit a solo home run to finish with one rbi. Rich Aurilia, Emmanuel Burriss, and Fred Lewis all finished with one rbi as well.

Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain pitched 7 2/3 innings and gave up five hits and two runs. Both runs came from a home run ball that he gave up to Jeremy Hermida in the fourth inning. Brian Wilson blew the save in the ninth inning when he gave up a three run home run but then got the win as the Giants scored in the bottom of the inning.

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For the second straight game the San Francisco Giants lost to the Detroit Tigers.  On Wednesday, the Giants suffered a 7-2 loss to the Tigers.  The Giants pitchers had problems as the Tigers kept pressure on them the first five innings of the game by scoring runs four out of the first five innings.

Barry Zito struggled once again and only lasted two innings.  Zito gave up five hits and five runs while walking four to take the loss.  Zito is now a very dissapointing 2-11 on the season and it doesn’t look like he is going to turn it around any time soon.

Billy Sadler gave up one run while pitching the third and fourth innings.  Alex Hinshaw pitched the next two innings and gave up one run as well.  Finally Jack Taschner, Keiichi Yabu, and Vinnie Chulk threw scoreless innings in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.

It was pretty funny how the Giants scored their first run in the game.  In the second inning, Armando Galarraga threw wild pitch that struckout Brian Horwitz.  However, Travis Denker was on third and scored on the wild pitch.  The second run of the game in the sixth inning Emmanuel Burriss reached on an infield single and Steve Holm scored on a throwing error by Tigers third basemen Carlos Guillen.

Yeah the Giants scored two runs and didn’t even have a rbi.  That is not the correct way to score runs lol.  No wonder why the lost.

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The San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies combined for 17 runs at Coors field in Denver, and there was only one home run hit in the game!  The Giants were able to defeat the Rockies by the score of 10-7 and avoid the three game sweep in the series.

Fred Lewis hit the only home run in the game when he went deep in the second inning with a three run shot.  Other then that, it was a bunch of rbi singles pretty much for the Giants.  Rich Aurilia also had three rbi in the game to tie Lewis for the game lead.  Ray Durham finished the game with two rbi while Emmanuel Burriss and Jonathan Sanchez both had one rbi.

Sanchez got the win on the mound for the Giants and is now 6-3 on the season. Sanchez threw five innings and gave up nine hits and seven runs.  Usually Sanchez would have got a loss in the game as he gave up seven runs, but thankfully for him and the Giants, the offense was on top of their game and put ten runs on the board.

Billy Sadler, Jack Taschner, Keiichi Yabu, Tyler Walker, and Brian Wilson should all be congratulated because they held off the Rockies over the final four innings of the game.  They were the real game winners if you ask me.  Wilson notched his 19th save of the season in the game as well.

The Giants will now play the Oakland A’s in a interleague Bay Area matchup.  Hopefully a lot of you will be able to attend the games and root on the Giants!

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The San Francisco Giants brough out the whooping sticks on Wednesday night as the pounded the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-3.  The Giants used back to back four run innings in the fifth and sixth innings to really blow the game wide open.

Ray Durham went 2-5 with four rbi to lead the Giants at the plate.  Durham went deep for a solo home run in the second inning.  Then hit a triple with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to score three more runs.  Bengie Molina, Aaron Rowand, and Emmanuel Burriss all had two rbi in the game as well.  Not to be left out, Rich Aurilia also had one rbi.

Jonathan Sanchez got the win and is now 3-3 on the season.  Sanchez tossed six innings while giving upi six hits and two runs.  Good outing for Sanchez who really needed to have a good game on the mound.  Jack Taschner then pitched a scoreless seventh inning before Vinnie Chulk gave up a run in the eight inning.  Alex Hinshaw was brought in to record the final two outs of the game.

The Giants and Diamondbacks will be play once again on Thursday afternoon.

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The San Francisco Giants were swept in a three game series by the Pittsburgh Pirates as they lost 5-4 on Thursday afternoon.  Right now the Giants are just playing terrible baseball and their record shows that as they are 14-21 on the season.

Matt Cain took the loss for the Giants as he pitched 6 1/3 innings and gave up five runs.  Cain was not his usual self against the Pirates as he gave up the five runs and nine hits.

Steve Holm had two rbi to lead the Giants at the plate.  Emmanuel Burriss and Cain had one rbi each as well in the game.

I don’t see things getting better for the Giants after this series.  They are going to continue to struggle as they just don’t have the caliber of players that other teams in the league do to win two our of three games all the time in a series.

What do you think Giants fans?  Is the Giants season over before it really even got started?

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