Thursday, April 8, 2010

The Broom Makes a Rare Appearance

So the Giants managed a sweep in Houston despite the first legitimate breakdown of the new season. Heck, the Giants haven't had this kind of success to open a campaign since 2004, when they opened up in... wait for it....Houston. There's gotta be some correlation, right?

This is the part where my faithful readers (all four of them) undoubtedly look for me to throw some water onto the fire. Well, far be it from me to disappoint.

A 3-0 start is encouraging. The Giants have done some things I like. They also are showing some of those same maddening tendencies that have derailed seasons past.

The old joke is that a pessimist says "Things can't get any worse. The optimist replies "Oh yes they can." That's how I feel about double plays. Optimistically you have to admit that the Giants can't be hitting into this many twin killings without being somewhat proficient at getting on base. But every GBDP is a wasted opportunity, one more chance to put up runs squandered. Sabean made a big deal about finding guys who put the ball in play, but the lack of a power bat and limited speed increases the likelihood that a ball in play turns two.

Contact hitters are a double-edged sword, kinda like hooking up with Catherine Trammell (look it up). It could be glorious, and it could be fatal. You take your chances. In DeRosa and Molina the Giants have two guys who are going to put the ball in play, and both are, shall we say, velocity challenged. DeRosa is going to hit into his share of twin killings, and teams may practice the pivot vs. Molina even with no one on base. They'll also provide some pop (and Bengie is much more acceptable hitting sixth or seventh than he was in the clean-up spot) but these two are also going to require my wife to put up some kind of safety barrier between me and the plasma to hinder my ability to fire a Heineken bottle through it out of frustration.

The Giants have yet to be seriously bitten by some lapses with the leather despite an abundance of same, and I won't rip Rowand for not going all Jim Edmonds on us and making a circus catch that would have saved Cain's bacon -- although I'm sure Rowand will tell you he should have made the play.

I can't anticipate the starters going seven every time out, the middle relief is a big question mark, and Affeldt showed yesterday that he doesn't always have a four-leaf clover in his back pocket. Pitching is still their strength, but the mere fact that Guillermo Mota made this team shows there's still work to be done.

But (don't gasp), here's the bright side. After squandering a lead, the Giants OFFENSE (there’s an oxymoron for ya) fought back. Rowand, for a day at least, found his stroke. DeRosa and Molina, slow or not, are hitting the ball hard. Edgar Renteria still has the range of a garden slug but is (for the moment) both healthy and hot. John Bowker and Travis Ishikawa went yard. There's a lot to like here. My question: Is this the team we can expect to see all year or was this a function of poor Astros pitching and a hitter-friendly yard? It's common knowledge that drives that leave Scottsdale or Minute Maid are loud outs at AT&T. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Giants hit better on the road than at home this year.

And there-in lies the rub. What will be the tipping factor for those all-important 82 home games? Will AT&T bite back thanks to slower defense, turning an A-minus pitching staff into a B? Will the lack of power turn the current average of six runs a game into a more pedestrian number than puts undue strain on the hurlers?

We find out more starting Friday. "Dirty" Sanchez takes the hill and the Giants get their first taste of home cooking. I’m anxious to see which Sanchez shows up, the one who no-hit the hapless Padres last year and pounded the strike zone in Scottsdale, or the head case who at can't find the strike zone with a military-grade laser guidance system. This, I believe, is the year he has to realize his potential or make way for the next Next Big Thing.

But hey, the bottom line is the Giants are 3-0. Now they get to face a real team in Atlanta. I like the first few minutes of this movie. Let's see if the next few scenes hold up.

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