Showtime Offers Free Half Hour Preview Of 'The Franchise: A Season With The San Francisco Giants'

Giants vs. Dodgers MLB Series Recap: San Francisco Gets To .500

So far, it's been a pretty inconsistent season for the San Francisco Giants, though we're only twelve games in, so that probably doesn't mean anything. Either way, they got closer to evening things up against the Los Angeles Dodgers, after dropping three-of-four away, they took two of a three game set at home in AT&T Park. Outside of being dominated in game one, the Giants looked largely like the better team in games one and two, with good pitching and hitting all throughout the lineup.

Giants Pitcher of the Series: Brian Wilson - When Wilson came in for the Cardinals series, he walked two and gave up two hits and blew the save. When Wilson came in for his first game against the Dodgers, he struck out the side. Swinging strikes that made people look silly. When he came in again, it was three up and three down. Wilson showed a lot of movement on his pitches, and that's a terrifying thing.

Giants Hitter of the Series: Mike Fontenot - This is the first and most likely (but hopefully not) last time he gets the best hitter award. Honestly, somebody on McCovey Chronicles mentioned how Fontenot hates looking at the back of his baseball card, and I felt bad for him. Fontenot hit a homerun to give the Giants the lead in game three, right after a Pablo Sandoval homerun. You can look at it now, Grant. You can look at it now.

Stat of the Series: Sitting with nine strikeouts and looking good throughout, Jonathan Sanchez was pitching from behind when the Dodgers led 3-2. That's right, 9 K's, and you're still looking at a point down. Such is the life of being a Giants pitcher. They would eventually win, but it was a moment in time where I stared at the stat and just ... huh? Also considered Fontenot here. Just because.

Upcoming Schedule: The Giants head out on a six-game road trip to first take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game set, and then face the Colorado Rockies in another set of three. 

Series Results:

Monday: Dodgers 6-1
WP: Clayton Kershaw (2-1)
LP: Madison Bumgarner (0-2)

Tuesday: Giants 5-4
WP: Jeremy Affeldt (1-0)
SV: Brian Wilson (2)
LP: Blake Hawksworth (1-1)

Wednesday: Giants 4-3
WP: Jonathan Sanchez (1-1)
SV: Brian Wilson (2)
LP: Ted Lilly (0-2)

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Scores: Buster Posey Takes Two for the Team

In his first two plate appearances tonight Buster Posey got plunked twice by Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ted Lilly, and I don't think it was because of a lack of concentration. In Tim Linceum's two outings against the Dodgers this year, he beaned former Giant Juan Uribe twice, one was bad enough to keep him out of the lineup the next day. Retaliation is just part of the game of baseball, and unfortunately for Buster (and his rib cage/elbow) he was the one selected to take one, make that two, for the team. Buster exacted a bit of revenge though, stealing second base after his second beaning, and could have done it standing up, but the ultimate reprisal was the Giants winning the game and the series against the rival Dodgers. 

Maybe Lilly was simply afraid of the reigning Rookie of the Year after his 3-4, 2 RBI showing the night before, but more than likely it was an simple example of baseball recrimination. Both teams were warned after Lilly's second HBP, and the rest of the night was rather uneventful. What am I talking about? When is it ever boring with these Giants?

Keeping up with last year's 'different hero every night' theme they had going, Mike Fontenot had 2 of the G-Men's 4 RBI's, including a moon shot to right field in the 6th, and he wasn't even supposed to start tonight. Mark DeRosa was slated for second base, but was a late scratch as a precaution after he felt some soreness in his surgically repaired wrist. Hopefully DeRo will be fine, but if Fontenot is going to produce like that, than I'm all for giving the kid some more at bats. The bullpen was stellar, using 5 arms in 2 innings, allowing only 2 hits combined and getting Brian Wilson his second save of the year. Buster made his presence felt again in the 7th when he caught Tony Gwynn in a pickle to end the inning with the Dodgers threatening. Should've beaned him three times apparently. 

The last two games were definite confidence boosters for San Francisco, almost as if they recaptured some of the magic of last season. Hopefully they can take it on the road with them to Arizona this weekend and keep the good times rolling.

Quick injury update: John Shea reported that Andres Torres will run the bases Thursday to test out his injured achilles after getting some BP in today and felt good. If all goes well he could be back this weekend. mlb.com reported Cody Ross will also travel with the team to Arizona after running on his strained calf for the second day in a row, as well as doing agility drills. He will likely see some time in an extended spring training game while down in Arizona and will be back later this month. 

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Scores: Giants Sneak by Dodgers 4-3 Behind HR's from Pablo Sandoval, Mike Fontenot

For the second night in a row the San Francisco Giants found themselves in the middle of a dogfight with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and for the second night in a row the Giants squeaked out a win. Jonathan Sanchez gave up a few runs, but Pablo Sandoval and Mike Fontenot made sure to lift the Sanchize up, along with the rest of the team by a score of 4-3 at AT&T Park tonight.

Sanchez (W 1-1) was pretty solid as he went for 6 full innings, allowing 7 hits, 3 earned runs (2 of which came from a Rod Barajas homer) 2 walks, and nine strikeouts. Ramon Ramirez, Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo, and Jeremy Affeldt were the battery that held down the Giants lead, while Brian Wilson went for back-to-back appearances for the first time since the World Series, getting his second save of the season.

Pablo Sandoval launched his first homer from the right side of the plate this year in the sixth, his second of the season. Mike Fontenot followed suit with a homer in the 6th as well, going 2-3 with and RBI double to boot. Aubrey Huff was 2-3 with and RBI sacrifice fly, while Aaron Rowand was 2-4.

Ted Lilly (L 0-2) also lasted for six innings, giving up 7 hits, 4 earned runs, no walks and two strikeouts, as well as the two Giants home runs. Rod Barajas finished 2-3 with a 2 RBI homer, while Aaron Miles was 3-4 with a RBI double.

Full box score can be found here.

With the win it moves the Giants to an even 6-6 for the season, and 3-3 with the Dodgers in their season series. After the off day tomorrow, the Giants will head to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks on Friday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40. Matt Cain (1-0 1.38 ERA) will take on Daniel Hudson (1-1 8.00 ERA) for the Diamondbacks.

For more discussion and analysis, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action.

Giants vs. Dodgers, Starting Lineups Preview: Lineups For Tonight's Matchup

As the San Francisco Giants look to take 2 out of 3 from the rival Los Angeles Dodgers tonight at AT&T Park, I’m sure the talk of fans around the stadium will be Barry Bonds and his obstruction of justice conviction, but the present Giants could probably care less. But in sport as in life, the show must go on, and tonight the Giants will look to tie the season series with L.A. at 3 games apiece.

Jonathan Sanchez (0-1 2.53 ERA) will face the Dodgers Ted Lilly (0-1 6.00 ERA) tonight; the Sanchize currently is 2-1 over his last 3 starts versus the Dodgers, sporting a 1.37 ERA with 4 walks and 29 strikeouts.

Today’s lineup for your San Francisco Giants:

CF Aaron Rowand
2B Mark DeRosa
RF Aubrey Huff
C Buster Posey
SS Miguel Tejada
LF Pat Burrell
3B Pablo Sandoval
1B Brandon Belt
SP Jonathan Sanchez

Dodgers Lineup:

SS Jamey Carroll SS
1B Casey Blake
RF Andre Ethier
CF Matt Kemp
3B Juan Uribe
LF Marcus Thames
C Rod Barajas
2B Aaron Miles
SP Ted Lilly

First pitch is slated for 7:15 tonight with coverage on NBC Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more discussion and analysis of the San Francisco Giants, head over to our G-Men blog, McCovey Chronicles, to get in on the action.

Tim Lincecum's Slow Motion YouTube Video is a Thing of Beauty

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Schedule Preview: Can Jonathan Sanchez Secure A Series Victory?

The San Francisco Giants evened things up on Tuesday with a comeback win that they sorely needed. Obviously, there's no situation where a team is in a must-win game at this point in the season, but facing your division rivals for the second time after succumbing to them 1-3 in the first series, you need to even things up as quickly as you possibly can. A 5-4 win in Tuesday's game gave them the confidence they needed, especially against a good pitcher like Chad Billingsley.

When Brian Wilson came into the ninth inning and struck out the side, the city of San Francisco breathed a collective sigh of relief. All was well at AT&T Park. But it's a new day, and a new pitching matchup. Last time the Giants sent out Jonathan Sanchez against the Dodgers, he was taking on Billingsley, but now gets a potentially better matchup as Los Angeles sends out Ted Lilly.

Lilly was taken for four runs off of six hits over 4 2/3 innings when the Giants beat the Dodgers 10-0 in their only win of the opening series, while Sanchez gave up four runs on seven hits, though only two of them were earned as the Giants defense was horrid at that point (and still shows flashes of that at this point). He did strike out eight batters in the win, however.

Aaron Rowand hit a triple in the seventh inning and scored the winning run after a wild pitch, and was 2-4 on the night. He'll be in the lineup again as starting centerfielder and leadoff man Andres Torres is out with an injury. The Giants will be looking to shake Lilly early and get as many runs out of him as possible to keep Sanchez confident out there. We'll have the lineups as soon as they're out.

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Scores: Giants Offense Wakes Up, Outlasts Dodgers 5-4

It was a back and forth battle this evening at a chilly AT&T Park as the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers traded blows inning by inning, but the G-Men eventually came out on top by a score of 5-4.

Tim Lincecum lasted 5 1/3 innings in his 2011 home debut, allowing 6 hits, 3 earned runs, a walk, and four strikeouts. Timmy was pulled with the bases loaded in the 6th, but Guillermo Mota got out of the inning unscathed. Jeremy Affeldt (1-0) gave up a tying home run to Marcus Thames in the 7th but got the win anyway, Sergio Romo pitched a perfect eighth, while Brian Wilson came in for his first save of the season, striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth.

Buster Posey had great night, hitting two, two-out RBI singles, finishing the game 3-4. Aaron Rowand was locked in as well, going 2-4 with an RBI and a triple to start off the bottom of the seventh, eventually scoring the winning run on a wild pitch by Blake Hawksworth (1-1), taking the loss for the game . Pablo Sandoval went 1-4 with an RBI single, moving his average to .368 for the season thus far.

Chad Billingsley started out hot, but the Giants started to get to him, knocking him out after 5 innings; he allowed 7 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Matt Kemp continued his hot start going 2-2 with 2 walks and an RBI, while former Giant Juan Uribe went 1-4 with an RBI double.

Full box score can be found here.

The Giants will finish up their series with the Dodgers tomorrow night as Jonathan Sanchez (0-1 2.53 ERA) takes the mound for the G-Men facing Ted Lilly (0-1 6.00 ERA) for the Dodgers. First pitch will be at 7:15 and can be seen on NBC Bay Area and heard on KNBR 680 AM.

For more discussion and analysis, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get your fix.

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Schedule Preview: Lineups For Tonight's Matchup

After last night’s 6-1 drubbing by the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants have begun the season 4-6, with 4 of those losses by the hands of the Dodgers. But with all of the pregame ceremonies and championship hoopla finally over, the G-Men can get back to focusing on one thing and one thing only, winning baseball games.

Good things usually happen for the Giants when ace Tim Lincecum (1-1 0.64 ERA) takes the mound, but the struggling Giants offense will have to compete with another top pitcher from the Dodgers, right hander Chad Billingsley (1-1 8.00 ERA).

Tonight’s lineup for your San Francisco Giants:

CF Aaron Rowand
2B Freddy Sanchez
RF Aubrey Huff
C Buster Posey
3B Pablo Sandoval
LF Pat Burrell
SS Miguel Tejada
1B Brandon Belt
SP Tim Lincecum

Dodgers Lineup:

LF Tony Gwynn
SS Jamey Carroll
RF Andre Ethier
CF Matt Kemp
1B James Loney
3b Juan Uribe
C Rod Barajas
2B Aaron Miles
SP Chad Billingsley

SS Rafael Furcal broke his thumb sliding into third yesterday, and has been placed of the DL.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 and can be seen on CSN Bay Area and heard on KNBR 680 AM.

For more discussion and analysis of the San Francisco Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action.

Comcast SportNet Bay Area's TV Ratings Skyrocket During Giants' Opening Weekend

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Schedule Preview: Tim Lincecum Looking To Set Things Straight

We titled our preview "Giants Offense Seeking Revenge on Clayton Kershaw." That didn't happen, it didn't even come close to happening. Pat Burrell got a slow jog around the bases and that was the entirety of the San Francisco Giants offense in game one of a three-game set at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Burrell had a great game, going 2-2 for with two walks, but he was essentially the only one. Whenever they started to get some kind of offense going, they just stranded base-runners and were shut down.

That kind of thing happens when you put the young Madison Bumgarner up against the team's pitching ace in Kershaw. On Tuesday, things will be a bit more skewed in San Francisco's favor though, when they send their own ace, Tim Lincecum to the mound to take on Chad Billingsley. In his last outing against the Dodgers, Lincecum was handed a loss, despite pitching very well. That loss on his record comes from a Giants defense that was absolutely horrifying. It literally scared children and sent pets scurrying away, that's how bad it was. They bobbled every ball that came their way, and Lincecum suffered because of it.

Chad Billingsley got a win in his first outing, against the Giants when he dueled Jonathan Sanchez. He pitched six innings, gave up five hits and walked one, striking out four - but gave up three earned runs, including a homerun. Still, he got the win due to the inconsistencies of Sanchez and the atrocity of the Giants defense ... pitching well also helped, of course.

Andres Torres is likely still out with an injury, though he's out of the boot and walking on his own now, Aaron Rowand will likely play centerfield again, though he's certainly slowed in his production. It appears he's just a better guy in a pinch.

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Scores: Giants Offense Struggles Again as Dodgers Dominate 6-1

For the second night in a row the San Francisco Giants found their offense hard to come by as the Los Angeles Dodgers led by Clayton Kershaw took down the defending champs by a score of #-# at AT&T Park. The Giants are now 1-4 with their rivals from L.A.,

Madison Bumgarner (0-2 9.00 ERA) was tagged with the loss, having his second rough outing in his two starts so far this season. Bummy lasted only 5 innings while giving up 8 hits, 5 earned runs, 4 walks and 3 strikeouts and a Rod Barajas homer. Ramon Ramirez came in for a scoreless sixth but gave up a run in the seventh, while Dan Runzler and Javier Lopez pitched a perfect eighth and ninth respectively.

Clayton Kershaw (2-1 1.37 ERA) had another nice night against the Giants, pitching 6 2/3 innings while allow 6 hits, no runs, 2 walks, and seven strikeouts, now with 16 strikeouts against the G-Men is his two starts so far. Andre Ethier went 2-4 with 2 RBI while Matt Kemp was 1-3 with an RBI, two walks, and a stolen base.

As for the Giants stagnant offense, Pat Burrell’s home run in the bottom of the ninth was the lone run for the G-Men, his fourth home run of the season. Burrell finished the night 2-2 with two walks, Aubrey Huff went 2-4, Pablo Sandoval went 1-3, while Buster Posey went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts. San Francisco left 7 players on base tonight while no Giant besides Burrell had an extra base hit.

Full box score can be found here.

The Giants will have their second meeting of their three game set with the Dodgers tomorrow, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Tim Lincecum (1-1 0.64 ERA) will be on the mound to face Chad Billingsley (1-1 8.00 ERA) for the Dodgers.

For more discussion and analysis of everything Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action.

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Schedule Preview: Lineups Set For Game One

The lineups are out for game one of the three-game set between the Giants and Dodgers. The Giants will be sending Madison Bumgarner to the plate to duel with the Dodgers' pitching ace, Clayton Kershaw. Of note in the lineup today is Miguel Tejada batting the leadoff against Kershaw, which may or may not work out. Eli Whiteside is out of the lineup as Posey returns from his day off, while Rowand remains in centerfield as Andres Torres is out with an injury. He's walking without a boot now, but it's reported that he's still got a noticeable limp to his stride.

Your 2011 World Champion Giants Lineup:

SS Miguel Tejada
2B Freddy Sanchez
RF Aubrey Huff
C Buster Posey
LF Pat Burrell
CF Aaron Rowand
1B Brandon Belt
3B Pablo Sandoval
P Madison Bumgarner

And the Los Angeles Dodgers Lineup:

SS Rafael Furcal
2B Jamey Carroll
RF Andre Ethier
CF Matt Kemp
3B Juan Uribe
1B James Loney
LF Marcus Thames
C Rod Barajas
P Clayton Kershaw

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Schedule Preview: Giants Offense Seeking Revenge on Clayton Kershaw

After the San Francisco Giants offense sputtered yesterday to a 6-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, they will have to regroup and in a hurry as the Los Angeles Dodgers come to AT&T for a three game series starting tonight. It will likely be another pitching duel for both teams as the Giants send Madison Bumgarner (0-1 9.00 ERA) to the mound to face Clayton Kershaw (1-1 2.08 ERA) for the second time in the last few weeks, although I’m sure the G-Men wil be looking for a better outing against him then they had on opening day.

Kershaw blanked the Giants in the first game of the season, allowing only 4 hits will fanning nine. His stuff was filthy that day, but hopefully the Giants will be up for the challenge this evening. As for Bumgarner, he had a really rough start in San Diego last week, throwing 73 pitches in only 3 innings of work while allowing 5 hits 3 earned runs and 2 walks. He seemed to lose his composure out there a little bit, but hopefully if the going gets tough tonight he’ll be able to fight through it. San Francisco is already down 3-1 in their season series with the rival Dodgers, but will look to turn the tides in their favor starting tonight.

As for an injury update on Andres Torres, he will be on crutches and wearing a boot for the next few days until the Giants know more about his apparent left achilles injury after another MRI and more examination on Wednesday.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 tonight and can be seen on CSN Bay Area and heard on KNBR 680 AM.

For more in depth discussion and analysis of the San Francisco Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action.

San Francisco Giants Replica Championship Ring Available for Purchase

Giants vs. Dodgers MLB Schedule Preview: Giants Hoping To Fare Better At Home

The San Francisco Giants didn't win their first two sets, four-game and two-game affairs against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres respectively, but they did with their first set at home and their most recent overall, taking two of three from the St. Louis Cardinals. There was a lot to take from that series, which you can read up on a little with our series recap right here. Suffice to say that a lot of good things where shown, like their ability to win those close games and get hits from across their whole lineup. The caveat is that a lot of bad things were shown too, including more poor fielding and inconsistencies with the pitching staff, namely Barry Zito and Brian Wilson.

So that brief recap aside, we're not looking to three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park. The Dodgers took three of four at the beginning of the season, but a sweep here can put the Giants ahead of them in that regard. Sure would feel sweet when it comes to their hated rivals. Either way, there's a lot of questions that need to be answered going into this series. Will the Giants just end up being better at home this year? Is Brian Wilson still hurt in some way? Are we in for more roller coaster wins or losses with ninth inning rallies?

Madison Bumgarner will be taking the mound in the first game on Monday, and he'll be facing the Dodgers' pitching ace, Clayton Kershaw. He's already beaten the Giants once this year, so it will be a stiff test for the young pitcher. They've got an ace of their own though, and that's Tim Lincecum, he should be taking the mound against Chad Billingsley in game two, while Jonathan Sanchez and Ted Lilly are set to duel it out in game three.