S.F. Giants--Make Or Break Time As Panic Button Is Being Pushed
Written by T Reginald Sykes, Friday July 24 2009
My, what a difference a week makes.
Last week, San Francisco Giants fans were riding high, coming out of the All-Star break. That was before the team took their act on the road into Pittsburgh and Atlanta and lost five of its next seven games.
Forgotten is the magical first half. The Jonathan Sanchez no-hitter is a distant memory. Fans and media are ready to nuke the offense. General Manager Brian Sabean, batting coach Carney Lansford and no less than ten position players are set for execution, now.
Fans say they've had enough and are ready to revolt if trades aren't made ASAP.
A week ago, Bruce Bochy was a genius--a magician--Manager of the Year. Today followers want his head on a platter.
The team goes into Denver tonight in what may be a "make or break" series against a red hot Rockies, who've slipped past San Francisco in the Wild-Card standings.
Let's see what the reaction will be afterward.
A sweep of Colorado will likely mean all is forgiven as the team will come home, where they've been nothing short of dominant. It will also mean they finish with a 5-5 road trip and they'll have a two-game lead in the Wild-Card race.
Taking two of three would put the two teams in a dead heat.
Anything short of that and the fans will be out for blood...Sabean's blood.
This team is facing adversity for the first time all season and this series is critical for comfort for Giants Fans.
The media wants to see big-time moves to improve a now-slumping offense. Fans are seeing other contenders making moves as so many of the players coveted by Bay Area media have changed uniforms.
Today it was Matt Holiday, last week it was Chris Duncan. It's also sfe to say that prospects that were deemed untouchable ten days ago are now nothing more than trade fodder to fans and media.
Truthfully, San Fracisco has two glaring holes in the lineup. Shortstop and secondbase are the biggest issues. Edgar Renteria has not lived up to expectations at shortstop and nobody has filled the void at second since Ray Durham departed last season.
Local fans have stood by watching contending GMs pick the Pirates clean, hoping Freddie Sanchez is still available when Sabean finally decides to make a move. He is one solution because Juan Uribe has played well but is not a second baseman. Uribe should play shortstop but Renteria's $18 million dollar contract may dictate otherwise.
Trading Renteria would have to be done as part of a package that very few GMs would be willing to deal with. The Giants are stuck with him and I doubt that Bochy would have a green light to bench him.
If the team acquires an outfielder, Bochy would have to bench someone. Likely Nate Schierholtz which would be a huge mistake because he is one of their best hitters. Aaron Rowand's contract is too big to bench and he is producing. Randy Winn is too much of a fan favorite and his play doesn't deserve benching, either.
Firstbaseman Travis Ishikawa is streaky and has not produced the RBI numbers one would expect from a corner infielder nut his glove is worth keeping on the field if the middle-infield is changed.
I'm not ready to give up on Ishikawa...yet.
Catcher Bengie Molina and thirdbaseman Pablo Sandoval are pretty much set in stone but many stones are beginning to fly in the direction of Carney Lansford because he refuses to teach these young players anything about discipline at the plate. He, more than anyone in orange and black, is the biggest problem.
Giant hitters seem to have a hard time laying off pitches in the dirt and they also love to hack at breaking pitches that end up close to their back foot.
There are no exceptions to that problem, either.
In order for this team to have success as it stands, Sabean must deal and Freddie Sanchez is the only candidate for change in this race.
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Love your work, always enjoy reading it, but I have two issues with this one. First, I don't see how it is Carney Lansford's fault that they can't hit. They didn't hit when the last dude was here (Joe Lefebvre). He (either one) can't hit for them. I know they always hack at the first three pitches the see, but that's what happens when you're lineup is 75% triple-Aers. Secondly, if you want to keep Ishikawa, then only play him at AT&T park, the dude can't hit for crap on the road. He might be the worst offensive first baseman in baseball, and that is supposed to be an offensive position. I like the Freddy Sanchez idea, but they need more than one bat. I will say though, as bad as I trashed the Giants in my recent post, they began the year slower than frozen molasses, so maybe they'll finish strong, after another slow start following the All-Star break. I'm not going to hold my breath though, I'd rather be pleasantly surprised (with a playoff berth) than be utterly devastated (with a sh!tty second half). Keep it up Sykes, I love seeing other write about the Giants, no matter what they have to say.