LINK: Chris Ray Signs with Seattle Mariners

Non-Tenders: Velez and Ray; Fontenot Signed to a One-Year Deal

Eugenio Velez and Chris Ray have not been offered contracts. Mike Fontenot was signed to a one-year deal worth just over $1MM, and all the other arbitration-eligible Giants (Cody Ross, Andres Torres, Santiago Casilla, Ramon Ramirez, Javier Lopez, and Jonathan Sanchez) have been tendered contracts. It's all here.

Fontenot's deal will not have incentives, and I can't really see it hurting the Giants at all. He'll provide them with a veteran middle-infield bat, and the fact that he's left-handed obviously presents value -- keep in mind that Freddy Sanchez has had some trouble against right-handed pitching...Fontenot doesn't particularly shine in any categories -- not a top defender, doesn't have great speed, not much power, doesn't hit for a high average -- but as a backup middle infielder, he'll be fine.

With the Giants in 2010, he produced -0.3 WAR, played mediocre defense, and didn't hit for much power at all (.282/.329/.310). I've always been bothered by hitters whose SLG is higher than their OBP, and Fontenot was one of those guys with the Giants. It's not like his .329 OBP is dazzling either, so it doesn't really justify the fact that it's higher than his SLG. Anyway, I'm sure he's a better player than this. He's not an impact bat, but he'll play average defense, and he'll give the Giants a back-up left-handed middle-infield bat -- useful, if you consider that the Giants' starting middle infielders will be right-handed hitters Miguel Tejada and Freddy Sanchez.

Ray and Velez could potentially be signed to minor-league deals, but we'll see. Their time as San Francisco Giants is likely over.

TEX vs. SF World Series...a possibility

On July 1, Bengie Molina was traded to the Texas Rangers for Chris Ray and Michael Main. The Rangers are now in the ALCS...one step away from the World Series. It seems like a perfect time to look at some comments he made a while ago to Carl Steward regarding his time in San Francisco and Texas.

Extra Baggs: "Here’s Bengie, the mad cyclist himself, on life as Ranger, as told to Carl:

'It’s been a great experience so far. The first five or six guys in the lineup are all all-stars, and to play with them, it’s unbelievable. I’m still kind of getting used to the whole thing, but my teammates have been so awesome making me feel welcome and comfortable. It’s made a difference.'

(how closely do you follow the Giants)

'Every day I check to see how they’re doing. I left a lot of friends and people that I love so much and care about, so I follow along. I know that they’re doing really well and I’m very happy for that.'

(how about a Texas-SF World Series?)

'That would be awesome. That would assure me of a ring. But from my point of view, I really have to concentrate on the Texas Rangers right now. Not that I’m going to forget about the Giants, but I need to concentrate a little more on where I am and what I have to do with this team to try to get them to the World Series and win it.'

'I wish the best to everybody over there. I’m still in touch with some of the guys. I don’t know how it is without me, but it sure looks like they’re having fun out there and they’re winning. So I’m very excited and happy for them.'

(thoughts on Posey and his first month)

'I never had a doubt that the kid was going to be a superstar soon in the league. I didn’t know how soon because I’m not mind-reader, but I knew that he had the skills and talent to be up there and take care of that pitching staff, and he’s shown it. We still text back and forth sometimes just to say hi and make sure everything’s OK and things like that. I wish him the best, because he’s a good friend of mine. He will forever be a good friend. It doesn’t matter that he took my place or whatever, he will still be a good friend.'

I would love to see an SF-TEX World Series. Not only do I think they are an easier potential matchup than the New York Yankees, but it would also be their first World Series. Frankly, I'm sick of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, etc...I'm sick of the Yankees playing in the World Series. It would be nice to see Texas finally play in a World Series.

Giants Lose Second Game in Cubs Series

The Giants got off to a good start on Wednesday, with a one-out Freddy Sanchez single followed by an Aubrey Huff double. All that Buster Posey needed to do was to hit a deep flyball, but he couldn't even put the ball in play, as he struck out swinging. The next batter, Pat Burrell, also struck out (looking), and the Giants failed to take an early lead. The next inning, Jose Guillen led off with a double, but the Giants once again failed to knock in the run. After that, the Giants had few more opportunities, as Randy Wells began dealing: 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 6 K, 1 BB. In the 8th, the Giants got things going: Travis Ishikawa took a two-out walk, and Cody Ross followed that up with a double. The Cubs brought in Carlos Marmol after that, and the Giants were shut down. Freddy Sanchez struck out to end the 8th. Marmol then struck out the side in the 9th.

Jonathan Sanchez continues to pitch well. His one big mistake was a fastball in Kosuke Fukudome's wheelhouse that was promptly deposited into the right field stands. All in all, though, he was decent: 5.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K. The bullpen was perfect as usual: Chris Ray and Santiago Casilla combined for 2.1 scoreless innings.

A few notables from the game:

1. Carlos Marmol's slider. It is nasty. Simply unhittable. The guy has put up incredible numbers this year, the most astounding being his 15.6 K/9 ratio. If he didn't give up six walks every nine innings, he would be the best closer in baseball. During the time he was out on the mound, the fielders behind him didn't have to do anything.
2. Cody Ross is not a leadoff hitter. Well, this is pretty obvious. But the point is, the Giants have better options for the leadoff spot. Cody Ross is not that fast, and his .313 OBP this year doesn't raise any eyebrows either. He's also got decent pop, which would be more useful in a different spot in the lineup. Freddy Sanchez would be a viable option - a .339 OBP, and his lack of power makes it more appropriate to put him there...it would only be for a few days, possibly, as Torres might soon return.
3. The Giants are impossible to understand. Really. Huff has put up great numbers, as has Posey. Burrell takes a lot of walks and has good power. Uribe has good power. Sanchez is a former batting champion (and has been doing well since August). And Guillen, Ross, and Sandoval all have decent pop, and the ability to hit for respectable averages. The pieces just don't fit together, though. One thing that is noticeable is that the team is dreadfully slow: Guillen, Sandoval, Uribe, Burrell, Huff, Posey. All pretty slow. Even Sanchez and Ross aren't too fast. The loss of Torres has really taken a toll on them in this category. Nevertheless, with this decent group of hitters, and the fact that they are playing in hitter's ballparks (Coors then Wrigley), I don't see how they can struggle like this. Maybe they'll get it together tomorrow...

The Giants extended their streaks: they've allowed three runs or fewer in 16 consecutive games, and they've allowed four runs or fewer in 21 consecutive games. They're close to making history... Oh yeah...and which team leads the majors in ERA? That's right...the Giants.

Tomorrow: Madison Bumgarner vs. Ryan Dempster...here's how Giants hitters have done against him in their careers:

Standings/Playoff Chances (According to ESPN.com)

Ten games left....

Giants Lose Opener in LA: 4-2

The Giants lost the first game of a three game series in Los Angeles thanks to a poor pitching effort by Barry Zito: 4 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 5 K; with each game it is becoming more evident that, for the Giants -- a team built around their rotation -- to succeed, their starters need to perform. Four innings out of any starter just isn't going to work..Zito had some good stuff working on Friday, but his problem was ultimately is his control (or lack thereof). In the fourth inning, with the game tied 2-2, Zito began by walking two consecutive batters, Matt Kemp and Casey Blake. Four batters later, Chad Billingsley was up with the bases loaded (the game still tied), and hit a liner to right field. Jose Guillen appeared to be ready to make a shoestring catch, but couldn't come up with the ball. It's in games like these that his lack of defensive prowess really hurts the Giants. Any other Giants right fielder -- Schierholtz, Huff, Torres, Ross -- could have made that catch. 


WPA (Win Probability Added) is a baseball statistic which attempts to measure a player's contribution to a win by figuring the factor by which each specific play made by that player has altered the outcome of a game. Guillen, of all the Giants, had the worst WPA in the game (-.107), lowering their chances of winning by 10.7% simply based on the night he had at the plate, going 0 for 4 and stranding four runners. This, of course, doesn't take into account the catch he failed to make, which turned out to be the difference in the game. Pitching and defense go hand in hand -- in order for good pitching to function, their needs to be a defense capable of supporting the pitcher; with Guillen in right field, there's little range being covered. Lastly, he should not be batting fifth in the lineup, especially if that means Posey, one of the Giants' most consistent hitters, is batting sixth. 


The Giants' offense, overall, failed to produce on Friday. It's understandable, because they were facing a good pitcher in Chad Billingsley, but they got just two hits...they need to get used to facing good pitching -- they'll see two more good pitchers this series: Ted Lilly and Hiroki Kuroda. 


Notes:

• The Giants' relievers put together a nice little performance: Ray, Casilla, and Affeldt combined for a line of 4 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB. 
• Henry Schulman made a good point a few days ago about what the Giants need to do to make the playoffs: 

"Well, a 20-11 finish would get them to 92-70, pretty much assuring they'd be in. To do that, they have to have another month like their 20-8 July. It won't be easy for myriad reasons. They have seven left San Diego, including four down south. After the Rockies series, they embark on a 10-game trip to Los Angeles, Arizona and the aforementioned series in San Diego. The Giants are 10-13 on the road against the West this year. Capish?"

•  The Padres have lost their eighth game in a row, after previously not having lost more than three games in a row this season. They are really struggling. They have managed to score just 19 runs over that eight-game span, averaging a dismal 2.4 runs scored per game. Their pitching -- arguably the best in the majors -- has also been struggling. They've given up 45 runs over the past eight games, averaging 5.6 runs allowed per game. Here's where the Giants can take advantage. At this point, it would be easier (and much, much, more fun) to seize a playoff spot from a team that is quickly crumbling to pieces. 
• On a related note, the Giants now, technically speaking, are as close to winning the NL West as they are to winning the NL Wild Card: they are 3.0 GB of the Padres for the division title, and 3.0 GB of the Phillies for the Wild Card lead. 

Tomorrow: Ted Lilly will pitch against Matt Cain. Aubrey Huff should get the day off (3 for 25 in his career against Lilly), and Freddy Sanchez could have a nice day at the plate (8 for 23, .348 in his career against Lilly). Juan Uribe is 4 for 13 with 2 HR in his career against Lilly. Overall, though, the Giants don't have great numbers against him. Matt Cain does not have good numbers against the Dodgers, largely thanks to Andre Ethier, who is 18 for 35 (.514) in his career against Matt Cain.

Giants Lose Opener in Philadelphia: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Burrell homers in his first AB against former team

The Giants' playoff hopes are starting to fade away. They lost to the Phillies 9-3 thanks to an 8th inning meltdown (5 Phillies scored), and along with it, they lost their lead in the NL Wild Card. They now stand 1.0 GB in the NL Wild Card, and an almost insurmountable 5.0 GB in the NL West.

The Good:

• Buster Posey hits well in the 2-hole. He's now 5 for 8 when batting second in the order. The combination of Torres and Posey in the first and second slots in the order will lead to a lot of first inning rallies like the one they started today.
• Jose Guillen's day at the plate. He was the most productive Giant on Tuesday, going 2 for 4 with a HR.
• Pat Burrell's first AB in his return to Philadelphia: a solo HR.

The Bad:

• A double play killed yet another rally: In the first inning, with runners on the corners, Aubrey Huff grounded into a double play. Pat Burrell would then come up and hit a 2-out solo home run. It could have been a different inning had Huff not GIDP (grounded into a double play...).
• The Giants' 8th inning meltdown. Chris Ray gave up a walk and 3 hits and did not record a single out.
• The icing on the cake in the 8th inning meltdown: I actually can't decide if it was the Ramon Ramirez balk that allowed the eighth run to score, or the Mike Fontenot error that allowed the ninth run to score.

The Ugly:

• If there's any proof that batter vs. pitcher statistics are meaningless, it's Juan Uribe. He took ownage vs. Oswalt into today's match (6 for 13, 1 HR), but ended up striking out three times.
• These 9 runs allowed were without Ryan Howard in the lineup...
• Giants' future: 2 more games against Philadelphia, then a 3-game series in St. Louis and a 3-game series against Cincinnati. They will be playing their 3 main wild card threats, and at the rate they are playing, their future looks bleak.
• Running statistic: Giants' runs allowed per game with Guillen in the starting lineup - 8.5, record with Guillen in starting lineup: 0-2

Home Sweet Home

The San Francisco Giants beat the Cubs 4-3 on Monday on a walk-off sacrifice fly by Pat Burrell. Madison Bumgarner didn't have his best game: 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 9 H; but the bullpen picked up the slack. Mota, Romo, Wilson, Ramirez, Lopez, and Ray combined for 5.1 shutout innings, allowing only 3 baserunners. This masterful job by the bullpen confirmed its depth after the Giants' thinned out their pitching staff by designating Todd Wellemeyer for assignment and calling up Emmanuel Burriss. The Giants hitting was not explosive, but ultimately got the job done. In the 5th inning, Andres Torres scored on a Buster Posey ground-rule double, and Renteria then scored on a wild pitch. In the 6th, Andres Torres came through again with an RBI single to tie the game at 3-3. It would remain that way until the bottom of the 11th, when Buster Posey was intentionally walked to load the bases for Pat Burrell. Pat Burrell hit a deep flyball to center, and that was the difference in the game.

Notes:

• After going 2 for 3 with 2 doubles and 2 walks, Pat Burrell is now 13 for his last 36 (.361 avg). 9 of his last 13 hits have been extra-base hits, and he's brought much-needed plate discipline to the Giants.
• Andres Torres was 2 for 5 with a double, and is now batting .354 over his last 18 games. He now has 36 doubles on the season, as he remains 2nd in the NL in doubles. 5 players are tied for 3rd in the NL in doubles with 29.
• Pablo Sandoval was 1 for 3. A lot can be said about his struggles, but he's hitting .323 at home. For what it's worth, ZiPs projects him to hit .304 for the rest of the season with 5 home runs. That would be significant to the Giants.
• Brian Wilson struck out the side. No baserunners. Dominated.
• The Giants improved to 34-20 at home. The National League finally won the All Star Game, so they get home-field advantage if they do happen to make it to the World Series...
• Uribe grounded into the only Giants double play on Monday. Giants are on pace for a franchise record 162 double plays. Their current franchise record? 153.
• Four Giants had multi-hit games, but more importantly the Giants had 11 walks.

3 more games against the Cubs, then a 3-game series against the Padres. What better way to build momentum for the crucial Padres series then to face the Cubs for 4 games at home!

Tomorrow's game: Giants take on Ryan Dempster tomorrow. Aaron Rowand should be left out of the lineup (1 for 13 career, .077 vs. Dempster), but you might just see Freddy Sanchez despite his recent struggles (6 for 17, .353 vs. Dempster). Oh yeah, and that guy Pat Burrell - 8 for 25 (.320) with 5 doubles and 7 walks against Dempster.

Barry Zito Continues Quality Second Half Pitching

In Barry Zito's fifth 2nd half start, he once again pitched a quality start. Giants starters have now tossed 11 quality starts in their last 13 games; Zito's line: 7 innings, 2 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 10 K. Giants fans should come to expect performances like this down the stretch, as Zito has proven to be a 2nd half pitcher over his career. The Giants' offense was quiet, as should have been expected against Tommy Hanson. Torres and Burrell, however, each managed 2 hits; Torres showed how valuable he is to this team by singling to center, stealing second, stealing third, and scoring on a groundout. With the Giants losing 2-1 in the top of the 9th, luck came their way. Buster Posey reached on an error after Huff was hit by a pitch, and Uribe advanced Huff to third with a flyout. Then, Chipper Jones pulled a Bill Buckner on a groundball by Pablo Sandoval to third, with Huff scoring on the play. With a 2-2 game, Giants relievers managed to keep the Braves scoreless and in the 11th, after a trio of walks by Peter Moylan, Pat Burrell hit a sac fly to give the Giants the 3-2 lead. Wilson came in, shut the door, and secured the win for the Giants. Kudos to the bullpen for great work tonight: Chris Ray, Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez, and Brian Wilson combined to shut down the Braves for 4 innings, allowing just 2 baserunners and striking out 5.

Notes:

• Buster Posey is 0 for 8 in this Atlanta series. He'll bounce back eventually: he's only struck out once in this series, so he's not exactly having trouble seeing the ball. Heyward was 0 for 5 on Friday night.
• The Giants have hit 0 HRs in this series, while the Braves have hit 4. This will be key going forward as the Giants have not been able to manufacture without home runs. They are 19-26 on the year in games in which they don't hit a home run.
• Pablo Sandoval was 0 for 4, but he did have 2 walks (1 intentional) and an RBI. And zero strikeouts. I'm still optimistic about his performance down the stretch.
• You might see Aaron Rowand in the lineup tomorrow. He's 8 for 18 in his career against Tim Hudson. Collectively, the Giants are hitting .252 against Hudson in 103 AB with 1 HR and 12 strikeouts.
• Pat Burrell once again contributed greatly to the Giants victory, reaching base 5 times on 2 hits and 3 walks (1 intentional), and also coming through with the winning RBI on a sacrifice fly. His plate discipline and power (7 HRs in 129 ABs with the Giants) have been valuable. I don't think we'll be forgetting about this any time soon:

In the news...

Giants Press Release: "Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants was selected by fans in an online vote as the winner of the "Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Month Award Presented by Pepsi" for July, it was announced today. The award recognizes the player who performed his best when the game was on the line. [...] Posey hit .417 (43-for-103) with six doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 24 RBI for the N.L. Wild Card-leading San Francisco Giants during the month of July."

Here's a video of his clutch performance