Win A Series Anyone?

I saved myself the pain of watching last night's game, only to find out that the Giants actually ::gasp:: won a baseball game! Matt Cain pitched a complete game and got his fifth win of the year as the Giants beat Seattle 5-1. Here are some quick notes on Saturday's game before we partake in this afternoon's offering.

• Matt Cain is a beautiful man. He gave up no walks and struck out seven.
• Utility infielder Juan Uribe broke the game open with a three run double.
• Fred Lewis added some insurance when he hit a two run shot, his second home run of the year.
  
• Jesus Guzman collected his first major league hit. It was originally scored a fielder's choice, but the ruling was eventually changed.

The Giants also have some action on the injury and transaction front.

• Pablo Sandoval injured his elbow on a throw to first base in Friday's game. It is speculated that he hyperextended his throwing elbow and will have to miss a few games. Sandoval will undergo tests to determine the severity of the injury, hopefully it does not turn out to be something more serious.
• Eli Whiteside has been called up from Triple-A Fresno. Noah Lowry was put on the 60-day DL list to clear a spot for Whiteside on the 40-man roster. Left-handed reliever Pat Misch was sent back down to Fresno to make room on the active roster.
• Brian Sabean has gone on record saying that he is actively shopping for another bat. Possible options include Indians infielder Mark DeRosa and Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson.
• Emmanuel Burriss and Travis Ishikawa will be sharing playing time with Kevin Frandsen and Jesus Guzman. The Giants are hoping the increased competition will improve their offensive output, and help Burriss and Ishikawa regain their spring training form.
  

Giants Close But Not Quiet Good Enough

Today the San Francisco Giants fell victim to the New York Mets' impressive offensive depth, in a 9-6 loss.

Randy Johnson's unsuccessful bid for victory number 299 got off to a rather ignominious start in the top of the first, with back to back singles followed by stolen bases (Numbers 12 and 13 on the series). This put runners on second and third for Carlos Beltran, who cleared the bases with a double. Clean up hitter Gary Sheffield singled in Beltran to put the Mets up 3-0.

The Big Unit seemed to settle down after his rocky first inning, and the Giants lineup responded. Pablo Sandoval brought the Giants to within two with an RBI double in the third and Aaron Rowand hit a two run single in the fourth to tie the game 3-3.

Unfortunately Johnson completely unraveled in the top of the fifth. The apparently aging lefty gave up three doubles, a single, and a balk before being removed from the game. He would eventually be charged with seven earned runs, bringing his ERA in his last three starts to 11.05. After Saturday's performance, is overall ERA is a dismal 6.86.

Johnson has been inconsistent at best and downright miserable at worst so far this season. While it's not clear what exactly is ailing the future hall of famer, he believes he needs to improve on his pitch location. Randy gave credit to the Mets lineup saying, "It's the best lineup that I've seen so far this year."

Despite the Big Unit's poor start, the Giants were able to come back and make a game of it. Aaron Rowand hit his third home run of the year in the sixth, a solo shot to left field off of Mets starter Johan Santana. Rich Aurillia and Randy Winn also had RBI's to get the Giants back to within one before New York iced the game with two more runs in the ninth.

So far this season the strength of the Giants roster has been their pitching staff, but they have stumbled in the last two series against Washington and New York, two of the premier offenses in the National League. San Francisco has given up a combined 44 runs in the last six games, and they will need to reverse that trend to avoid a sweep.

Zito Returns to Cy Young Form

Barry Zito will take the hill today against the Washington Nationals. The nationals have a fearsome lineup which includes third-baseman Ryan Zimmerman who is in the midst of a 30 game hit streak. As a team their wOBA is .351. That is good for fifth best in the majors, behind only the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rangers, and Yankees.

For most of the past two seasons, this is a start you would expect Barry Zito to lose. But the former Cy Young award winner has shown signs of regaining his old form so far this season. He has increased his strikeout rate and decreased his walk rate, bringing his K/BB ratio to a healthy 2. His WHIP has dropped from last year's career high of 1.60 to a respectable 1.25.

What has led to this improvement? Zito's velocity has increased this season from an average of 84.9 MPG to 86.6 MPH. This improved velocity means that there is now a 12 MPH difference between his fastball and his change-up, a 2 MPH improvement over last seasons' split. It is possible that his increase in velocity has allowed Zito to keep hitters more off-balance this year.

Many people have also pointed to a change in Zito's attitude on the mound. They cite this newfound confidence as the reason for his improvement. If you watch Barry pitch, it is evident that he is way more into the game than in years past. I'm not really sure what caused this shift in demeanor or how much of a difference it really makes but, I won't argue with the results.

75 has been especially dominant of late, posting a 1.37 ERA in his last four starts. If the Giants are going to sweep the Nationals they will need a strong start from Zito. I refuse to believe that the Giants will be able to score more than 4 runs three games in a row.