-- The Giants have won seven games in a row for the first time since 2007.
-- Ryan Vogelsong ended his nine-game streak of two-runs-or-less, but if that's what a bad Vogelsong start is...well, I'm more than content with that. His control wasn't great (he walked four of the 26 batters he faced); but he got swinging strikes (11 in 107 total pitches), and those two home runs weren't exactly crushed. Wasn't a great start, but wasn't an awful one either, especially considering this is our fifth (or is it fourth now?) starter.
-- For the first time in 2011, 6+ Giants had multiple hits in a game (the first game of the doubleheader). This also (obviously) marked their season-high for hits (18 total) and runs scored (13) in a game. Aaron Rowand and Miguel Tejada (?!) combined for five hits in the one-two spots of the lineup.
-- Barry Zito also had a pretty decent start for the Giants; I think it's reasonable to expect that he'll be pretty much the same pitcher going forward as he has been over the last two seasons. A slightly below-average starter -- who's obviously a great option as the fifth man in the rotation. His average fastball velocity was slightly above 84 (he maxed out around 86), and while he only allowed two walks, his control wasn't great -- 64 strikes to 44 balls.
-- The Giants are now at 284 runs scored, 279 runs allowed. They entered today with a -4 run differential, but are now at +5. It's a slight change, but it seems like a more accurate indicator of their talent.
-- I like Chris Stewart. He's basically a AAAA-type guy, but he's been pretty acceptable on the defensive end of things -- and he draws walks, which is kind of nice. At this point, I don't know what the Giants are going to do at catcher. Maybe they'll decide they like Stewart enough that their fine with continuing along with him and Eli Whiteside catching. I guess I'd be content with that (though I also would be in favor of a Guillermo Mota for Yorvit Torrealba trade, which has been rumored recently).
-- I'm going to make a rather obvious statement: Bill Hall sucks. It's been a fun experiment (not really), but if there's one thing I want the Giants to acquire at the trade deadline -- it's an acceptable second-baseman. Not even a particularly good one (a one-WAR type would do). Just someone who can be acquired at a cheap price, and can maybe platoon with Mike Fontenot there. Oh yeah, and to clarify: I do not want Orlando Cabrera.
That's it for now...just rattling off some quick thoughts, but I might update this with a few more notes later.
