Weather this storm, Giants

OK... today sucked for the Giants. I mean it sucked in every way a game can suck. 10-0? That's a day of total suckitude that the only positive thing I can pull from the game is I think they looked good with their caps with the orange bills.

It's been a brutal few weeks and with their starting rotation, their supposed strength, looking worse and worse each day and the team in freefall... there's reason to think the Giants whole season is done.

And hey, you might be right.

After all, they are 7 games back in the loss column for the Division and 3 back in the loss column for the Wild Card.

The schedule isn't giving them many breaks as they play the first place and on a roll Reds for the next three games.

But just hang on. The schedule is going to lighten up soon...
The Lowly D'Backs and reeling Rockies and Dodgers are next.

They have winnable games every game after the Reds series for the rest of the month. And they are only 3 back in the loss...

If they can be only 3 back in the loss by Labor Day, they'll play only 7 games against contenders for the rest of the year (the 7 remaining games with San Diego.)

Don't get swept, try and keep pace and know it is better to have your lousy streak in August than in September (or October for that matter!)

And oh yeah, try not to make 10-0 losses a habit.

18 of 21 Giant Starts

Let’s take a look at 18 of the last 21 games the San Francisco Giants have played and get a sense of their rotation.

We’ll take out one bad start by Jonathan Sanchez and two bad starts by Todd Wellemeyer and average the starts from every other game between Tim Lincecum’s win against Atlanta on April 11th to Barry Zito’s solid game against Florida earlier tonight.

The average starters line for 18 of the next 21 games has been…

6.87 Innings pitched, 1.4 earned runs, 2.27 walks and 6.78 strikeouts.

That’s nearly 7 innings a start and less than a run and a half per for an ERA of 1.89.
That’s nearly 3 strikeouts for each walk.

And along the way they gave Adam Wainwright and Roy Halladay their first losses.

Lincecum went 3-0 in that stretch (with two gut wrenching no decisions.)
Zito went 4-0 in that stretch (with the bullpen blowing a game for him in LA)
Both Cain and Sanchez had some hard luck losses tossed in with some dominating wins.

And even Wellemeyer threw a 7 inning gem.

And while it isn’t a huge sample, it IS more than 10% of the season where you are getting quality innings, not giving up walks and getting nearly a strikeout an inning.

What I am saying is… GIANTS! YOU HAVE SOMETHING VERY VERY SPECIAL GOING ON HERE! GET ANOTHER BAT! GET ANOTHER RELIEVER! YOU COULD WIN THE NL PENNANT!!!!!

How many teams out there are as loaded as this team is in the rotation?
When will the National League be this evenly matched again?

Put it together NOW.

Here are the lines of the pitchers


1. 7 ip, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K (Lincecum) W
2. 6 ip, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K (Zito) W
3. 6 ip, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (Cain) ND
4. 8 ip, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 K (Sanchez) W
5. 6 ip, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7K (Lincecum) W
6. 7 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (Zito) ND
7. 6 ip, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (Cain) ND
8. 7 ip, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K (Sanchez) L
9. 7 ip, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K (Lincecum) W against Jaime Garcia
10. 8 ip, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K – (Zito) W against Wainwright
11 5 ip, 2 ER, 1 bb, 4 K – (Cain) L
12. 5 ip, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 K – (Sanchez) – W against Halladay
13. 7 ip, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K – (Wellemeyer) - W
14. 8 1/3 ip, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K – (Lincecum) - ND
15. 8 ip, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (Zito) - W
16. 8 ip, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 Ks (Cain) - W
17. 7 ip, 3 ER, 1 BB, 13 Ks (Lincecum) - ND
18. 7 ip, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4Ks (Zito) - W

Hey Yankees… just trade Joba Chamberlain

Seriously, it is the only merciful thing to do at this point.

Joba burst onto the scene in 2007 as the next dynamic pitcher in the Bronx.

And every single year since, people have been wringing their hands debating about whether he should start or relieve.

And now 3 seasons later… he’s been transformed into a potential #5 starter after having a rough post season as a reliever.

As I wrote when I compared him to Matthew McConaughey, his stats show he puts up great numbers as a reliever and mediocre numbers as a starter. If, after 2 and a half seasons, Joba was even decent in the rotation, he’d be at least a #4 starter at this point.

Instead we have more hand wringing.

Remember when people were saying Joba was an ace in the making?
Remember when the “keep Joba in the rotation” crowd kept saying how the bullpen was wasting his talent?

People were saying he could win a Cy Young.

Now I’m not even sure he could win a Dennis DeYoung!

This blogger wrote the wonderful sentence “The only people who want Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen are the people who have very little knowledge of baseball.”

I fancy myself having a little knowledge of baseball. And I think that using 90 innings at his full potential is better than 200 innings of mediocre pitching.

It is clear as 1990s Pepsi that he should be the bullpen closer in waiting… like Steve Young waiting to take over for Joe Montana.

But alas, the Yankees are doing everything short of hiring Jeff Gillooly to destroy Joba’s career and put him back in the rotation.

He’s 24 now… and he could have a break out season… or he could be yanked back and forth again and the debate (and moronic Joba rules) could rage while he is 25… then 26…


He’s won a ring in New York and had a few big highlights in the Bronx. But if they are going to ruin his career, they might as well deal him to another team.

The Phillies could use a closer… Hell a good closer could clinch the NL Pennant for them!

The Angels, the Marlins, the Cubs or the Giants could all use an upgrade in the closer position.

The Brewers have the only pitcher in history with more saves than Mariano Rivera in Trevor Hoffman… Joba could be groomed to be the next Trevor.

And those teams might pay through the nose to get him. The Yankees could get the next corner outfielder, solid infielder or pitcher to groom in exchange for Joba.

Joba could get some peace of mind with a fresh start, a steady role and oh yeah… a media that doesn’t put the race for the #5 starter on the backpage of the newspaper!

And oh yeah, when Joba has developed into a tremendous closer and Mariano Rivera ultimately retires… the Yankees can just sign Joba as a free agent.

See? It’s the circle of life.

And in honor of Dennis DeYoung, enjoy this…