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Giants know it's all about the score
By Eduardo Perez
There are numerous storylines to talk about after the opening series of the season, but there is one that has mostly gone unnoticed. San Francisco has started the season 3-0, thanks to a sweep of the Astros,
and the Giants seem to be more well-rounded than ever.
Let's start by discussing the Giants' offense. Center fielder Aaron Rowand and infielder Edgar Renteria have been superb. Renteria is a guy people have discarded as a premier shortstop, but he still is consistent and always makes the routine defensive plays. He is the type of player who is important to the organization because he makes the team better both on and off of the field. Renteria has proved himself early offensively, going gap-to-gap in the series at Houston. Even though we are only three games in, the Giants played a good series on the road against a strong team.
Jonathan Sanchez, who pitches Friday against Atlanta, and the pitching staff aren't a concern for the Giants. Instead, the make-or-break group for San Francisco is the offense.
This offseason, many thought the offense was going to be a question mark in San Francisco, but so far, so good. The big key will be the changes in the lineup. Giants manager Bruce Bochy dropped catcher Bengie Molina down in the lineup. He has hit cleanup in the past, and to have him hitting sixth in the lineup is very important. The adjustment provides a lot more balance throughout the batting order because he is the type of player who drives in runs.
Another welcome change to the lineup is former Baltimore Oriole Aubrey Huff. Huff is one of the most underrated ballplayers in the league. I played with him in Tampa Bay, and that's when I realized he could absolutely hit. He is very consistent at the plate, hitting righties and lefties equally well. His career batting average is hovering around .280. As long as he melds well in San Francisco, he definitely can improve his team by hitting in the cleanup spot, and he's far from a defensive liability. The bottom line is Huff is going to be key to the Giants' progress and success this season.
With the offense developing and producing runs, it takes a lot of pressure off of the pitching staff. You have Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, who have pitched in that organization when they didn't have great run support and still proved to be successful. I think, with the proper run support and a fine rotation, this team could easily win the NL West, which is a pretty tough feat. In years past, people said this was one of the weakest divisions, but that has changed.
It is very competitive now, as the Rockies, Dodgers and Giants are all teams capable of winning it in 2010. San Francisco has built its staff from within. The Giants took their hard knocks with Barry Zito for a couple of years, and it seems as if it will finally pay off because he is back to being comfortable on the mound. Zito and Jonathan Sanchez, who starts Friday at home in the series opener against the Braves, are going to be the two wild-card guys. Plus, it will be interesting to see how Giants pitcher Todd Wellemeyer comes around as the No. 5 starter. Wellemeyer has had a great spring, if he can have solid outings and keep the team involved, this is going to be a very tough club to beat.
Watching this team throughout the season will be a joy, with one of the best starting rotations in the National League. On any given night, any one of these pitchers could go out and throw a no-hitter. As advertised, Lincecum did well in his first start, Zito did great in his first outing and Matt Cain was simply Matt Cain. They really went out and did their jobs, which will be expected to continue throughout the season.
The Giants' starting five are going to be fine. San Francisco's question mark is not going to be pitching; it's going to come from the cleanup spot. Can Huff handle the job? He definitely can.
By Eduardo Perez
There are numerous storylines to talk about after the opening series of the season, but there is one that has mostly gone unnoticed. San Francisco has started the season 3-0, thanks to a sweep of the Astros,
and the Giants seem to be more well-rounded than ever.
Let's start by discussing the Giants' offense. Center fielder Aaron Rowand and infielder Edgar Renteria have been superb. Renteria is a guy people have discarded as a premier shortstop, but he still is consistent and always makes the routine defensive plays. He is the type of player who is important to the organization because he makes the team better both on and off of the field. Renteria has proved himself early offensively, going gap-to-gap in the series at Houston. Even though we are only three games in, the Giants played a good series on the road against a strong team.
Jonathan Sanchez, who pitches Friday against Atlanta, and the pitching staff aren't a concern for the Giants. Instead, the make-or-break group for San Francisco is the offense.
This offseason, many thought the offense was going to be a question mark in San Francisco, but so far, so good. The big key will be the changes in the lineup. Giants manager Bruce Bochy dropped catcher Bengie Molina down in the lineup. He has hit cleanup in the past, and to have him hitting sixth in the lineup is very important. The adjustment provides a lot more balance throughout the batting order because he is the type of player who drives in runs.
Another welcome change to the lineup is former Baltimore Oriole Aubrey Huff. Huff is one of the most underrated ballplayers in the league. I played with him in Tampa Bay, and that's when I realized he could absolutely hit. He is very consistent at the plate, hitting righties and lefties equally well. His career batting average is hovering around .280. As long as he melds well in San Francisco, he definitely can improve his team by hitting in the cleanup spot, and he's far from a defensive liability. The bottom line is Huff is going to be key to the Giants' progress and success this season.
With the offense developing and producing runs, it takes a lot of pressure off of the pitching staff. You have Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, who have pitched in that organization when they didn't have great run support and still proved to be successful. I think, with the proper run support and a fine rotation, this team could easily win the NL West, which is a pretty tough feat. In years past, people said this was one of the weakest divisions, but that has changed.
It is very competitive now, as the Rockies, Dodgers and Giants are all teams capable of winning it in 2010. San Francisco has built its staff from within. The Giants took their hard knocks with Barry Zito for a couple of years, and it seems as if it will finally pay off because he is back to being comfortable on the mound. Zito and Jonathan Sanchez, who starts Friday at home in the series opener against the Braves, are going to be the two wild-card guys. Plus, it will be interesting to see how Giants pitcher Todd Wellemeyer comes around as the No. 5 starter. Wellemeyer has had a great spring, if he can have solid outings and keep the team involved, this is going to be a very tough club to beat.
Watching this team throughout the season will be a joy, with one of the best starting rotations in the National League. On any given night, any one of these pitchers could go out and throw a no-hitter. As advertised, Lincecum did well in his first start, Zito did great in his first outing and Matt Cain was simply Matt Cain. They really went out and did their jobs, which will be expected to continue throughout the season.
The Giants' starting five are going to be fine. San Francisco's question mark is not going to be pitching; it's going to come from the cleanup spot. Can Huff handle the job? He definitely can.
