Giants News

"Shortstop Omar Vizquel could be activated from the disabled list as soon as today, leaving the Giants with some interesting roster decisions. The choice could be made for them if second baseman Ray Durham lands on the D.L. again. Durham was limited to one start on the team's six-game trip because of a sore hamstring and Manager Bruce Bochy doesn't want to remain shorthanded for the start of the Giants' season-high 10-game homestand."

"Giants Manager Bruce Bochy gave his players and staff a huge scare when he slipped on wet steps and hit his head on the ground while dodging a foul ball hit into the dugout Thursday. Bochy was OK, but he wasn't the only Giant feeling a little woozy after they concluded a frustrating six-game trip with a 5-4 rain-soaked loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. "

"On top of everything on Barry Zito's plate, he has a historically bad record. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Zito became the third starter in Giants history, and the first in 81 years, to lose his first seven decisions. The others were Bill Carrick in 1899 and Bill Clarkson in 1927. So, how does Zito deal with that ugly 0-7 next to his name? "I don't deal with it," he said. "It's out of my control. I could be 4-3 and no one would even mention anything about it.""

"First, there was a 1-6 start. Then came a burst of plucky play, some wins and optimism. Now, the Giants are in a third stage, in danger of falling into the kind of malaise expected of a team with too many too-young players and not enough pop. They flew home Thursday night after a 5-4 loss that completed a Pirates sweep and a trip through Pennsylvania that yielded one win in six games. Matt Cain blew a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning aided by Jack Taschner's first slip-up of 2008."

"A one-run lead, a rain-slicked field and a hard smash down the third-base line. It was not the ideal combination for a game-saving defensive play, but Jose Bautista made it work just fine. Bautista's glovework quashed a San Francisco Giants rally Thursday afternoon and carried the Pirates to a 5-4 victory. "

"Capps climbed right back on the mound yesterday afternoon, entrusted with a one-run lead, and pounded San Francisco's hitters with fastballs to finish off the Pirates' 5-4 victory, as well as a three-game sweep, while registering his eighth save in as many chances."

"Last night at PNC Park, Pirates manager John Russell walked to the mound to take the ball from Dumatrait, but history hardly repeated itself: Dumatrait had gone 5 2/3 scoreless innings, and he was turning over a two-run lead to the bullpen for what wound up a 3-1 edging of the San Francisco Giants. First big-league victory."

"In need of a fresh arm in the bullpen and in hopes that Brad Hennessey can correct his struggles with regular work, the Giants optioned the right-handed reliever to Triple-A Fresno on Wednesday. Right-handed reliever Billy Sadler was recalled from the Grizzlies and watched the 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates from the bullpen."

"Thank goodness the Barry Zito Reality Show was back on the air Wednesday. Order up 13 more crazy episodes, please! He never fails to entertain: After a nine-day hiatus that only heightened the intrigue, Zito pitched plenty well enough to maintain his spot in the rotation and suggest potentially brighter days. He never fails to fail: Zito was back starting for the Giants and back to losing again, this time by a 3-1 score in Pittsburgh to drop his record to 0-7. So thank goodness, Zito will pitch again Monday, with 0-8 looming large, and we'll be watching. Zito's an event now. "

"Barry Zito returned to the Giants' rotation Wednesday, and for the first time in weeks he looked like he belonged there. Zito still became the first pitcher since the franchise moved to San Francisco to lose his first seven starts in a season. But the embattled left-hander appeared to begin putting the pieces back together with five strong innings in a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park."

"Lost amid the chatter of Barry Zito's drop in velocity has been a noticeable decline in Matt Cain's, but for Cain that is not necessarily bad. When the big right-hander emerged three seasons ago, he threw in the mid- to high-90s, as Tim Lincecum does now. In Cain's last start at Philadelphia on Saturday, most of his fastballs were 91 mph, topping out at 92 or 93. Yet he had one of his best games of the season, allowing two runs on three hits in seven-plus innings. Moreover, Cain did not walk a batter until the eighth, when his hamstring tightened."

""All of his pitches were crisper, he threw any pitch any time and he had the confidence to do it," manager Bruce Bochy said. "If he pitches like that, we'll get him some wins." But not Wednesday night. The Giants failed to score over the first eight innings against three members of the worst pitching staff in the majors and lost 3-1. They fell to 1-4 on a trip that could be truncated by rain today, and are six games under .500 for the first time this season."

"This is the summer of their discontent. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are secret-handshake brothers in a two-man fraternity. They sit in their respective estates, stewing in their own juices, cooling their heels, lying in the beds they've made, and hold on while I try to think of another idiom to complete this cliche grand slam. Twiddling their thumbs in the same boat? Good enough. Neither man has retired, yet neither is playing, and it's the most intriguing story of the baseball season."

"San Francisco Giants third baseman Jose Castillo was pretty excited Tuesday night when he slammed a three-run homer into the center field seats at PNC Park. "I always liked hitting in this park," Castillo said. It didn't hurt, either, that Castillo went deep against the Pirates -- the team that forced him to languish on the bench last year, then unceremoniously dumped him in the offseason. "Um ... yeah, maybe," said Castillo, fighting to hold back a grin. "

"The Pirates did a lot with a little Wednesday night, and wound up with a cost-efficient 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Left-hander Phil Dumatrait, whose pitch count is limited as he makes the transition from long reliever to starter, worked 52/3 tidy innings. Dumatrait gave up three hits and a walk, struck out five and threw just 78 pitches. Dumatrait (1-1) notched his first major-league victory by outpitching Giants lefty Barry Zito (0-7). "

"Last night at PNC Park, Pirates manager John Russell walked to the mound to take the ball from Dumatrait, but history hardly repeated itself: Dumatrait had gone 5 2/3 scoreless innings, and he was turning over a three-run lead to the bullpen for what wound up a 3-1 edging of the San Francisco Giants. First big-league victory."

"The Major League Baseball Players Association has expressed concern to the commissioner's office over the lack of offers to Barry Bonds, asking for additional information about the offseason's free-agent market. The union did not go as far as to file a grievance on behalf of the outfielder, 43, who remains unsigned and hasn't received any offers since the San Francisco Giants decided not to re-sign him last year and he became a free agent."

"Once Jonathan Sanchez got his first start of April out of the way, the Giants left-hander had an increasingly encouraging month. Maybe May will play out in similar fashion. Sanchez's four-week run of solid starts ended in a hurry on Tuesday night when he allowed seven runs over 4 1/3 innings in a 12-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park."

"He's back like a bad penny. Like 12.6 billion bad pennies, actually. Barry Zito, why must you tease us so? We think you're going away, we think we can blow off one game in early May, and then you have to go and turn it into must-see viewing. For two innings, anyway. What are the Giants thinking by putting Zito back into the rotation after skipping him for a mere one start? Glad you asked."

"Barry Zito returns to the Giants' rotation today against the Pittsburgh Pirates, ending the embattled left-hander's 1 1/2-week banishment to the bullpen that didn't include a relief appearance. Manager Bruce Bochy made the surprise announcement before the Giants absorbed a 12-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. "This is a good time to put him in the rotation," Bochy said. "He's had a chance to do some stuff on the side. Barry Zito is a starter. He is going to be a starter for us. We just felt we needed to break it up a little bit and give him a break."

"IT WAS AN ambitious project, 20 months of almost daily labor, with private meetings and clandestine interrogations, sold as a search for the truth. It would change the way we look at sports. Maybe even make us look away. Remember the Mitchell Report? Didn't think so. Commissioned by Major League Baseball, it was made public over the winter, exposing rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs among players and the complicity of executives. The report named names, alleged criminal connections and concluded baseball was corrupt on several levels. This 311-page bomb blew up several careers and maimed many others — only to have the fan emerge unscathed and profoundly indifferent. "

"Omar Vizquel lovers might be able to cheer the man himself sometime during a 10-game homestand that begins Friday. Vizquel is three games into a minor-league rehab assignment and, manager Bruce Bochy said, "It looks like possibly he can be ready in a week. "So far, so good. He's playing some innings, getting some at-bats, and he's not feeling any effects from his playing time. That's a good thing." Head trainer Dave Groeschner is a little more cautious."

"Barry Zito's banishment to the bullpen lasted precisely zero relief appearances. Zito will return to the rotation and face the Pirates tonight after missing one start. The Giants were going to need a fifth starter by Saturday and decided to have Zito pitch tonight, manager Bruce Bochy said, not only to balance the rotation but to ensure the left-hander does not go too long without pitching."

"Every Giants game of late has seemed like a mortal struggle, with each of the previous five decided by one run. And now for something completely different, how about the Giants falling behind by 11 runs in the seventh inning and losing 12-6 to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates? "We just let this game get out of hand," manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's not our game.""

"Zach Duke waited nearly a year to pick up a victory. When he finally got it, there was not much suspense. Duke cruised to an easy decision Tuesday night, as the Pirates hammered the San Francisco Giants, 12-6. It was Duke's first win this season -- his first in 12 outings since June 12, 2007. "Better late than never," Duke said. "

"Barry Zito's stint in the San Francisco bullpen wasn't very productive -- he didn't get into a game --but it also won't last long. The left-hander, 0-6 with a 7.53 earned run average, will start against the Pirates tonight. "We thought he'd get work out of the bullpen, but it wasn't happening," Giant manager Bruce Bochy said. Zito hasn't pitched since April 27 when he allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and 8 runs in 3 innings against Cincinnati."

"The lineup change manager John Russell made for the game last night changed Freddy Sanchez's fortunes a bit, but did absolutely nothing different for Nate McLouth. Which was a good thing. McLouth, batting second rather than his customary first, had three more hits, including two more home runs, and drove in three more runs to help Zach Duke and the Pirates beat San Francisco, 12-6, in front of 12,030 at PNC Park."

"With the prospect of going 12-20 and putting themselves on a pace to lose 101 games, the Pirates did not flinch last night at PNC Park. They battered the San Francisco Giants something awful -- 14 hits and three home runs -- on their way to a 12-6 win. With this victory, the Pirates are on pace to lose only 96 times this season."

"Giants third baseman Jose Castillo's homecoming won't be anything like Aaron Rowand's emotional return to Philadelphia last weekend. Castillo spent four seasons in Pittsburgh - twice as long as Rowand's tenure with the Phillies - and he was well-received by Pirates fans. But there almost certainly won't be any standing ovations or handmade signs at PNC Park today. Just more head-scratching about what went wrong. "I'm not sure what to expect from the fans," Castillo said. "I had a lot of good times. I thought I played good. I just want to play normal, because if I do that, I'll be OK.""

"With these three words - "speed is exciting" - new first-base coach and running instructor Roberto Kelly challenged the Giants to run more in 2008, and they are doing it. Who would have thought that 32 games into the season the Giants would lead the majors with 38 stolen bases? They are on pace to swipe 192, or 73 more than last year, when the Mets led the majors with 200. Moreover, the Giants are doing it without three of their four leading base stealers from 2007, Dave Roberts, Rajai Davis and Omar Vizquel."

"Former Giant Pedro Feliz was shocked to flip on a game and see how many San Francisco players he did not know, especially the man behind the plate. "I see the catcher, and he's a blond guy," Feliz said. "We never had a guy like that when I was there." If Feliz was surprised to see Steve Holm catching for the Giants, he is not alone. The 28-year-old Sacramento native might have been the least likely player to make an Opening Day major-league roster this year. Before March 31, Holm had not been on the 40-man roster a single day since the Giants drafted him in 2001."

"WHEN I'M King of the World . . . More major league clubs will investigate "momentum pitching" as a viable alternative to the arm-killing, paint-by-numbers, minimalist style that gradually took over after the "no windup" motion was adopted in the 1960s . . . Briefly, former Red Sox journeyman Dick Mills has developed a delivery he claims increases velocity while decreasing arm strain. If you watched Tim Lincecum matching up with Phils No. 1 Cole Hamels, you saw the momentum delivery in action. The Giants' vest-pocket ace towers 5-11 and tips the scale at a robust 170. Take a look at Lincecum's delivery (videos available on MLB.com) and pay attention to four things: 1. His length of stride. 2. His three-quarter arm slot. 3. The low position of his hands as he begins a slow turn and the arm speed enhanced by the momentum generated by the long stride. 4. The high right leg whip on his follow-through."

"Player to watch: Jose Castillo makes his return to Pittsburgh, but he's showing the Giants that he's no better in the Pacific time zone than in the East. He's only hitting .239 this season, but is 4 for 10 (.400) in with three RBI his past three games."

"Let's not assert that the Padres should just pack it in now. Nor that the Dodgers and Rockies and Giants should, either. We can't say with full conviction that if you're not the Arizona Diamondbacks, your chances of winning the NL West are zero. Even though, well, they probably are. All that stuff about the first month being meaningless in the long run? Just stuff, as it turns out. Statistically speaking – and does baseball speak any other language? – Arizona would be defying the odds and history by not finishing the regular season as repeat champions. "

"The Giants did enough to beat Philadelphia Phillies emerging ace Cole Hamels on Sunday. They just did more damage to themselves in a frustrating 6-5 loss. Three errors led to five unearned runs, including the winner when a routine grounder went under rookie second baseman Eugenio Velez's glove, allowing Ryan Howard to score from second base with two out in the ninth inning. "We didn't play well," Manager Bruce Bochy said after the Giants' eighth one-run loss of the season and their second in three days against the Phillies. "We did offensively, but we've got to catch the ball."

"With the Giants expecting to see nothing but left-handed starters for a week, right-handed hitters such as Rich Aurilia and Jose Castillo are going to have to carry a larger load of the offense. Both infielders were more than up to the challenge Sunday, combining to go 4 for 6 with four RBIs against Philadelphia left-hander Cole Hamels in the Giants' 6-5 loss. The pair finished 5 for 7 with five RBIs. Aurilia had three extra-base hits for the first time in his 14-year career - including a tying two-out, two-run homer in the sixth inning. Castillo drove in the Giants' first run with a two-out single in the fourth. "

" Aurilia had three extra-base hits for the first time in his 14-year career, including a tying two-out, two-run home run, and Castillo contributed a pair of run-scoring hits, the second a go-ahead RBI triple in the eighth inning. But Vinnie Chulk, after working out of a one-out, first-and-second jam in the seventh, allowed a tying home run to Carlos Ruiz in the eighth inning, and then second baseman Eugenio Velez's error with two out in the ninth allowed the Phillies to earn a 6-5 victory."

"There was interesting symmetry in Tim Lincecum's first year as a major-league pitcher. It began 365 days ago with a no-decision against the Phillies and ended Sunday with another no-decision against the Phillies. Lincecum's numbers over the year look phenomenal. In 31 games (30 starts), he went 11-6 with a 3.43 ERA, 82 walks and 195 strikeouts in 1882/3 innings. He lost consecutive starts only once. The Giants would take full seasons like that any time, but Lincecum found plenty of room for criticism."

"Any team that pushes youth makes a Faustian bargain. There will be moments of uninhibited enthusiasm and excitement, but the payback will be lots of mistakes. When they come in bunches, the results can be cruel and painful, as the Giants sorely can attest. They lost to the Phillies 6-5 Sunday when rookie second baseman Eugenio Velez let Geoff Jenkins' easy grounder with two outs in the ninth inning slide under his glove into right field. Ryan Howard scored from second base, ending a series the Giants easily could have swept, but instead lost two games to one."

"With two outs in the ninth of a tied game, Eugenio Velez, in his 44th major league game, failed to field Geoff Jenkins' routine ground ball to his left. Rumbling Ryan Howard scored from second base, Randy Winn's throw from rightfield a tad late. It gave the Phillies a 6-5 win yesterday, their second walkoff win of the three-game series, in which they won two of three. "

"IMAGE MIGHT NOT be everything, but, apparently, it's something. In their second head-to-head matchup, so to speak, Phillies ace Cole Hamels, a 24-year-old portrait of San Diego suaveness, was outpitched by Giants cornerstone Tim Lincecum, a baby-faced, 23-year-old charcoal sketch of Northwest grit. "To me, he looks like a little clubhouse guy or something," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said, good-naturedly. "Or a bat boy, with long hair. I wouldn't say he's real pretty, neither." Lincecum pitched pretty."

"Geoff Jenkins was not exactly Carlton Fisk, waving that home run fair in the 1975 World Series, but he did do a pretty good job encouraging the baseball to find its way into the outfield in the bottom of the ninth inning yesterday at Citizens Bank Park. "Get through, get through," Jenkins shouted as he ran up the first-base line after hitting a ball to the left of San Francisco Giants second baseman Eugenio Velez. The ball did get through, but that was only half of the deciding play that earned the Phillies a 6-5 walk-off win over the Giants."

"Zito, who will earn an average of $17.8 million in each of the next five years, hasn’t pitched any better this season. After starting 0-6 with a 7.53 ERA, he was moved to the bullpen, becoming baseball’s most expensive middle reliever in history. While procuring premium pitching is the goal for any team with World Series aspirations, overpaying in contract length can be devastating. More than position players, pitchers tend to be injury prone and inconsistent. For every Johan Santana, who was locked up to a six-year, $137.5 million contract with the Mets, there are a handful of hurlers like Zito, Mike Hampton, Chan Ho Park, Denny Neagle and even former Phillies pitcher Kevin Millwood."

"Aaron Rowand trotted out to center field in the bottom half of the first inning of Friday night's game between his San Francisco Giants and the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park and did that familiar head bob to say thanks for the ovation from a mostly appreciative Phillies' crowd. That doesn't mean he should have been re-signed by the Phillies this past December. Rowand stepped out of the batter's box one half inning later and tipped his helmet to a much larger ovation from a fan base long seen as tough on visitors, but certainly thankful for the two seasons Rowand spent with the team."

"Almost a year to the day of his big league debut, Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum has an opportunity at a do-over of sorts against the Philadelphia Phillies. Last May 6 at AT&T Park, Lincecum faced virtually the same Phillies lineup he'll see today at Citizens Bank Park. His pitching counterpart is the same guy: Cole Hamels."

" One, two, three times Fred Lewis taps his heart as he crosses home plate. To remember. When something good happens to the Giants left fielder, he will tap his heart, point to the sky, say a silent prayer. To remember why he's here. And what was lost in the process. "I've dedicated my whole life to them," the soft-spoken Lewis said last week. "To my three girls." In 2001, on a rainy Mississippi night, Lewis' life changed forever on a dark Gulf Coast highway. Out of a senseless tragedy he found a purpose. Now, at 27, Lewis is fulfilling it. He has solidified his hold on the starting left-field spot - the position held by Barry Bonds for 15 years - hitting .324 and providing a spark with his game-changing speed. "What happened that night," Lewis said, "is the main reason I'm here today.""

"The 10th inning couldn't have gone much better for Giants closer Brian Wilson on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. Wilson, who less than 24 hours earlier allowed a walk-off, two-out, two-run 10th-inning homer to Philadelphia's Pat Burrell, got the three outs he needed to preserve the Giants' 3-2 victory."

"In San Francisco, the only vision scarier than Rush Limbaugh taking the oath of office inside of the mayor's office is the sight of Matt Cain standing on the mound talking to Giants head trainer Dave Groeschner. It happened Saturday night (Cain and Groeschner, not Limbaugh), but the news was not too bad for the pitcher. Cain left the game in the eighth inning with tightness in his right hamstring, which he began feeling an inning earlier. Manager Bruce Bochy said he removed Cain as a precaution, adding, "I talked to Groesch. He thinks Matt will be fine for his next start.""

"For the second game in a row, they grabbed a one-run lead in the 10th inning, this time on an RBI single by their one tried-and-true money hitter, Bengie Molina. They had a chance to break the game open, but for the second time left the bases loaded. That forced Brian Wilson to save a one-run lead one night after he blew one. He did it, the Giants won 3-2 and their rookie closer got a 50,000-watt jolt of confidence. Wilson was desperate to atone, too."

"Myers had the stuff. He pitched seven solid innings and struck out a season-high 10 against the San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, the Phillies managed just three hits - none after the fifth inning - and lost, 3-2, on a Bengie Molina RBI single in the 10th, in front of a chilled sellout crowd of 43,804 at Citizens Bank Park. Chase Utley and Geoff Jenkins accounted for the Phillies' runs with solo homers."