Brian Sabean, Bruce Bochy discuss 2012 at Postmortem Presser

It's the end of the road for the San Francisco Giants, but there's plenty to talk about and question during the offseason, starting with the team's annual postmortem press conference. There are a lot of players on the team currently who's status is up in the air due to contract status, injury, etcetera, here's a look at some of the finer points made, with the aid of Giants beat writers Hank Schulman and Andrew Baggarly. 

The heart and soul of this team is it's pitching, which is why getting their talented young arms paid and in the Black and Orange is a top priority this offseason. Once everything is settled on the mound, then them team will look at getting free agents such as Jose Reyes or Prince Fielder. Cain becomes a free agent before Lincecum, but Sabean did not count out possible talks with Timmy over the next few months, who isn't really looking for a long term deal. Jonathan Sanchez and Barry Zito will also be making likely returns to the Giants, fighting for a rotation spot along with Eric Surkamp. Jeremy Affeldt will likely be returning as well. 

The Giants will be pursuing Carlos Beltran, though Sabean feels that agent Scott Boras will be "thorough" (aka lengthy discussions). Skipper Bruce Bochy said that Nate Scheirholtz's spot in right field is 'his to lose' in 2012, but if Beltran returns I'd highly doubt that. 

Buster Posey will be the everyday catcher, though he will need a steady backup as he will probably be getting more days off behind the plate than before. Sabean does not feel that Hector Sanchez can fill that role at this time. Baggarly predicts a likely return for Chris Stewart. 

Justin Christian won't be a starting center fielder, a place Sabean sighted for much improvement next year. This is where a trade for someone like Coco Crisp may come into play. Brandon Crawford's play in winter ball will likely influence the team's desire for a shortstop. 

There are no offseason surgeries planned for anyone; not Brian Wilson, not Pablo Sandoval, no one. Freddy Sanchez should be ready to go for next season, Cody Ross will get "due considerations" as to getting a new contract. 

And last but not least is Aubrey Huff. Baggarly referenced this presser as  "use Aubrey Huff as a pinata" day after getting essentially called out for being out of shape, not taking offseason workouts seriously, and not taking his share of the load. 

"Aubrey knows it's going to be different. That can't happen again or you've got to make changes," Bochy said.    

It's going to be a long offseason folks, get settled in until Spring...

Giants vs. Rockies, MLB Scores: Giants Fall 6-3, End Season With Optimism For 2012

The San Francisco Giants had a rough season in 2011, and had one more game with the Colorado Rockies to try to finish on a high note. Unfortunately the game didn’t pan out that way, but still ended with a lot of optimism and appreciation with a nice ceremony after their 6-3 loss at AT&T Park.

Eric Surkamp lasted for 4 2/3 innings Wednesday afternoon, giving up four runs on eight Colorado hits along with three strikeouts. And in a somewhat fitting way, the injury bug had to rear it’s ugly head one more time, taking Dan Runzler in the seventh with an apparent arm injury.

Jeff Keppinger and Mark DeRosa had RBI singles, the total of the Giants offense today despite 10 hits for San Francisco. Pat Burrell went 1-3 with a single, coming out of the game to a standing ovation and curtain call in the sixth, getting a lot of emotional hugs in the dugout from his teammate. DeRosa and Burrell may be forced out of the game due to injuries, but are two classy gentlemen with terrific careers. If it is the last game they play, I’m glad it was with the Black and Orange.

Giants players signed baseballs and tossed them into the stands after the game as part of their fan appreciation ceremony, as well as some optimistic words for 2012 from Matt Cain and Bruce Bochy. And even though they didn’t make the playoffs as defending champs, it was still a successful season overall and a good foundation to be successful again next season.

Full box score can be found here.

For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.

VIDEO: Buster Posey Impersonator Loves to Dance

Giants vs. Rockies Preview: Giants Out For Season-Ending Sweep Of Rockies

After back-to-back self-esteem boosting wins by the San Francisco Giants, the Black and Orange will look to close out 2011 on the highest note possible; a sweep of the Colorado Rockies in front of some of the best fans in baseball at AT&T Park.

It will be a day of reflection as well as anticipation as Giants fans are left to ponder ‘what happened?’ and ’what’s next?’ all at the same time. True, missing the playoffs the season after winning a title always stings a little bit, but if you consider all the injuries and low scoring games it was a miracle this team finished as well as they did. They showed determination with all the odds stacked against them, and still almost snuck into the playoffs as the one of the lowest scoring teams in baseball.

There will be some goodbyes at AT&T this afternoon as It will likely be Pat Burrell’s last game of his storied career, getting the honorary start out in left field in front of his home town crowd. Pat the Bat was nothing but a consumate professional and team player during his time in San Francisco, and was especially a fan favorite with the ladies (even more so in the Marina).

Carlos Beltran may also be making his last start for San Francisco as he heads into an offseason filled with free agent frenzy and number crunching for the best deal (well his agent does anyway). Everyone would love it if Carlos returned, but not many will hold their breath.

Where will all the rookies go next year? Does Brandon Belt become the first baseman, or has Brett Pill usurped him for the position? Can Brandon Crawford figure out how to hit enough to become an actual major league player (we all know he’s got the glove)? Will Eric Surkamp break into the rotation? Can Hector Sanchez become the backup catcher?

And of course, the injuries….

Will Freddy Sanchez ever get back to his pre-injury 2011 level? Can Buster Posey catch a full season with metal legs (hyperbole)? Is Brian Wilson’s elbow really a concern?

These questions can not be fully answered yet, but for one afternoon at AT&T Park the fans and players alike can go out with some gratitude, some humble pie, and most importantly a win

Your San Francisco Giants:

1. Justin Christian CF
2. Jeff Keppinger 2B
3. Carlos Beltran RF
4. Pat Burrell LF
5. Brett Pill 1B
6. Mark DeRosa 3B
7. Emmanuel Burriss SS
8. Hector Sanchez C
9. Eric Surkamp P

First pitch is set for 12:45 pm PT this afternoon with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more on the Giants head over to McCovey Chronicles.

Giants vs. Diamondbacks Preview: Matt Cain Out To Keep NL West Hopes Alive

With a six game lead with six games to play the Arizona Diamondbacks are one win away from clinching the NL West title and their first playoff berth since 2007. On the other side of the coin, the San Francisco Giants have a bit of a heartbeat left in the Wild Card race, though they’ll send Matt Cain to the bump Friday to keep the Black and Orange’s season from flatlining.

Cain (12-10 2.86 ERA) allowed just three runs on five hits in five innings of work against the Rockies during a 12-5 Giants rout at Coors Field in his last time out, and will need something similar tonight if they want to get a win. Cain is 4-1 with a 3.97 ERA in five starts against Arizona this season and 10-5 with a 3.45 ERA against them in his career, so at least history will be on his side.

The D’backs will look to Joe Saunders (12-12 3.66 ERA) to clinch this evening, who earned his ninth road victory with 8 and 2/3 innings of work against the Padres in his last start. He’s struggled against the Giants though, going 0-3 with a 5.61 ERA in three starts this season.

If the Giants don’t make the playoffs, they will be the the first defending champion to miss the postseason since the Cardinals back in 2007.

First pitch is set for 6:40 pm PT this evening with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles.

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Scores: Bumgarner Exits Early, Giants Fall 8-2

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) – Hiroki Kuroda went seven-plus innings while Matt Kemp and Juan Rivera both hit a two-run homer, as the Dodgers downed the Giants, 8-2, dealing San Francisco another blow to its playoff hopes.

With the loss in the rubber match of the three-game series, the Giants fell four games behind the NL wild card-leading Braves and six games behind the NL West-leading Diamondbacks, both of which were idle Thursday. The Giants begin a three-game set in Arizona on Friday. Arizona’s magic number is one to win the division.

In the Dodgers’ final home game of the season, Kuroda (13-16) allowed two runs on five hits to earn the win. He struck out four and did not issue a walk.

Kemp finished 4-for-5 with a career-high three doubles and three runs scored. Rivera went 2-for-5 with three RBI for the Dodgers, who have won six of eight.

Madison Bumgarner (12-13) yielded four runs in as many innings to see his career-long five-game win streak come to an end.

“He didn’t have his normal good stuff,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “He was off. You’re going to have an off night and that’s what it was tonight.”

Carlos Beltran and Pablo Sandoval both hit a home run for the Giants, who entered the series having won eight straight.

Kuroda, who has won six of his last eight starts, allowed a two-out homer to Beltran in the first, but surrendered just two other hits until Sandoval’s leadoff blast in the seventh.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first, as Kemp doubled with two down and Rivera followed with his 11th homer of the season.

Rivera added an RBI single in the third and Dee Gordon drove home Rod Barajas in the fourth to make it a 4-1 game.

Steve Edlefsen spelled Bumgarner to begin the fifth and allowed a leadoff double to Kemp, then issued one-out walks to Aaron Miles and James Loney to load the bases. Waldis Joaquin entered and walked Barajas to push a run across before Jamey Carroll’s RBI groundout made it a 6-1 game.

Kuroda was pulled with after allowing a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez in the eighth. Kenley Jansen walked pinch-hitter Pat Burrell but retired pinch-hitter Andres Torres, Jeff Keppinger and Beltran in succession to end the threat.

In the home half, Gordon walked, and two batters later Kemp sent his 36th home run deep to center to cap the scoring.

“I just tried to make contact,” said Kemp. “If it goes it goes.”

Kemp, who is hitting .326 with 118 RBI this year, got some appreciative cheers from the home crowd.

“The chants of MVP are overwhelming,” said Kemp. “If it happens it happens. I’m not going to put any more pressure on myself.”

Game Notes

The Dodgers finished the season 42-39 at home. They split the season series with the Giants, 9-9…Former Dodgers manager, Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, spent his 84th birthday in the home dugout at the request of current manager Don Mattingly…Bumgarner logged his shortest start since going four innings in a July 30 loss to the Reds.

Giants vs. Dodgers, Starting Lineups: The Constant (Bum)Garner looking for Lucky W Number 13

The San Francisco Giants have already gained some ground in the NL Wild Card race this afternoon with St. Louis’ loss to the Mets, giving the G-Men a bit more hope for a possible playoff spot. They’ll send out Madison Bumgarner tonight, looking to get his 13th win of the season and his record above .500 for the first time all season.

Bummy has six wins over his last eight starts, giving up only four earned runs over his last four times on the bump. He’s 19 K’s away from a 200 strikeout season, and has been on of the best pitchers in baseball over the last few months.

As for the lineup, Justin Christian earned himself another start after his 3-4 night last night, batting leadoff and playing center field. Aubrey Huff and Pablo Sandoval will both be in the lineup as well, with Huff batting fifth, just ahead of Brandon Belt. Brandon Crawford will be at third, while Chris Stewart will be the backstop tonight for Bumgarner.

Your San Francisco Giants:

1. Justin Christian CF
2. Jeff Keppinger 2B
3. Carlos Beltran RF
4. Pablo Sandoval 3B
5. Aubrey Huff 1B
6. Brandon Belt LF
7. Brandon Crawford SS
8. Chris Stewart C
9. Madison Bumgarner P

Los Angeles Dodgers Lineup:

1. Dee Gordon SS
2. Jerry Sands RF
3. Matt Kemp CF
4. Juan Rivera LF
5. Aaron Miles 3B
6. James Loney 1B
7. Rod Barajas C
8. Jamey Carroll 2B
9. Hiroki Kuroda P

First pitch is set for 7:10 pm PT this evening with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more discussion and analysis of the Black and Orange, head on over to McCovey Chronicles.

Bryan Stow Speaks For First Time in Six Months

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Scores: Vogelsong Survives For 8-5 Victory, Giants Gain Ground In Wild Card

The San Francisco Giants' offense has been coming through in the clutch as of late, although Clayton Kershaw put a bit of a damper on it last night. Nevertheless, the G-Men were determined to get a win against the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday evening, and behind another solid performance from Ryan Vogelsong the offense exploded for a 12 hit, 8-5 victory at Dodger Stadium. 

Rookies Brett Pill and Justin Christian lead the way for San Francisco tonight, both going 3-5 with a double with Pill with two RBI and Christian with three. Mike Fontenot had a two RBI single in the fifth, while Mark DeRosa added an insurance RBI with a sacrifice fly in the seventh to ensure a Giants victory. Carlos Beltran went 1-2 with a double, while Pablo Sandoval made another pinch hit appearance, lining one to the second baseman in the eighth with the bases loaded.

Vogelsong (W 12-7) was cruising through the Boys in Blue until the fifth when Matt Kemp launched a three-run homer to bring the Dodgers with in one run, eventually knocking him out of the game. Vogey would end up allowing four runs on nine hits, along with one walk and three strikeouts. Santiago Casilla would allow two base runners in the bottom of the ninth, prompting Bruce Bochy to bring in Brian Wilson, closing it out for his 36th save of the year. 

The Giants gained on the Braves in the Wild Card with their loss 4-0 to Florida, though gained nothing in the NL West race as Arizona beat Pittsburgh 8-5. They stay 5.5 games behind the D'backs, while only 3.5 back in the Wild Card, with St. Louis only 1.5 games back. 

Full box score can be found here.

For more on the Black and Orange, head over to McCovey Chronicles. 

Giants vs. Dodgers Preview: Ryan Vogelsong Out To Keep Giants In Playoff Race

Tuesday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers certainly hurt the San Francisco Giants playoff chances in a big way, but they aren’t dead in the water yet, sending out All-Star Ryan Vogelsong to the mound for a little redemption from the Boys in Blue.

Vogelsong (11-7 2.68 ERA) earned his first win in about a month last week against the Rockies, throwing five and 1/3 innings of two run ball during the G-Men’s 8-5 win at Coors Field. He’d taken the loss is his previous five starts.

The Dodgers will counter with Dana Eveland (2-1 2.25 ERA), who kept the Giants scoreless in seven innings of work on September 10 at AT&T and is looking to do the same this evening at Dodger Stadium.

Currently sitting 5.5 games behind the first-place Diamondbacks in the NL West and 4.5 games back of the Wild Card leading Atlanta Braves, the Black and Orange are running out of chances to get into the playoffs, and any losses from here on in will almost certainly drop them from contention.

First pitch is set for 7:10 pm PT this evening with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

Giants vs. Dodgers, MLB Scores: Kershaw Sinks Giants 2-1, Weakens Playoff Hopes

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) – If the Giants miss out on the postseason, they have Clayton Kershaw to blame, as they fell to the Dodgers’ ace, 2-1, in the opener of a three-game series.

Kershaw (20-5) beat the reigning World Series champs for the fifth time in six starts this season, tossing 7 1/3 solid frames to pad his potential NL Cy Young Award campaign. The left-hander was touched for just one run on Chris Stewart’s seventh-inning homer, one of six hits he yielded in his seventh straight positive decision.

The last Dodgers pitcher to win 20 games was Ramon Martinez in 1990.

“Twenty wins is kind of a benchmark for all pitchers,” Kershaw said. “All I tried to do was put zeroes up there.”

Jerry Sands homered off Tim Lincecum (13-13) and James Loney added an RBI single to hurt San Francisco’s playoff chances.

The loss dropped the Giants 4 1/2 back of the wild-card front-running Braves and 5 1/2 games behind the NL West-leading Diamondbacks.

The Giants came into the series on a rare offensive tear, having scored an average of seven-plus runs during their eight-game winning streak.

Facing Kershaw, though, was a different story altogether, as their only run came on Stewart’s one-out blast over the wall in left.

Kershaw was pulled after walking the next two hitters, and Kenley Jansen struck out Pablo Sandoval and Carlos Beltran to keep it a 2-1 game.

Javy Guerra closed it out in the ninth for his 19th save.

Los Angeles put together a two-out rally off Lincecum in the first. Matt Kemp started things with a single, moved to second on Juan Rivera’s base hit, then scored on Loney’s single up the middle.

Sands’ homer leading off the second proved to be the game-winner.

Lincecum was solid after the round-tripper, allowing a total of eight hits and three walks in seven innings.

“It’s frustrating when you go up against a guy like [Kershaw]. You have to be on your game,” Lincecum said. “This loss sets us back a little bit.”

Game Notes

Kershaw lowered his earned-run average from 2.30 to 2.27. He improved to 12-1 at home this season…Lincecum has lost three of his last four decisions.

Giants vs. Dodgers Preview: Kershaw vs. Timmy Part IV

No matter what time of year or what the situation, when the San Francisco Giants play the Los Angeles Dodgers it's deadly serious. And when you add the matchup of Tim Lincecum vs. Clayton Kershaw, the stakes raise just that much higher.

San Francisco currently is 3.5 games back in the NL wild card and 5.5 back in the NL West, looking to make a improbable playoff berth after going 11-18 in the month of August to free fall out of the postseason race temporarily. They've come storming back in September though, sporting an 11-5 record and a eight game win streak as they get ready to take on the Dodgers for the playoff livelihood: 

"It's Giants-Dodgers, yeah, but we're in a situation now where we've got to win every game," Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong said. "If we don't win [in Los Angeles], then going into Arizona means nothing. And they're playing well. It's going to be a tough series."    

The G-Men were 9.5 back of Arizona in the West and 8.5 behind Atlanta in the Wild Card before their winning streak, their longest since a 10 game streak from May 20-31, 2004, scoring six or more runs in six of their eight straight wins. What a difference a few weeks make. 

Tuesday will also see the fourth Lincecum v. Kershaw matchup this season, with Kershaw looking like a leading candidate for the Cy Young this year. Sporting a 19-5 record, Kershaw hasn't allowed an earned run in four of his list six outings, and has a career 1.26 ERA against the Black and Orange. Lincecum on the other hand hasn't won any of the previous three meetings with Kershaw this year, despite a 0.82 ERA in those games. He'll be out to build on his last outing against the Padres, throwing seven strong innings of scoreless ball for his 13th win of the season. 

First pitch is set for 7:10 pm PT with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM. 

For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles. 

Giants vs. Rockies, MLB Scores: Giants Complete Sweep With 5 Homer, 12-5 Beatdown

Denver, CO (Sports Network) – Pablo Sandoval homered twice during an eight-run fourth inning, and the streaking San Francisco Giants teed off against the Colorado Rockies, belting a season-high six longballs in a 12-5 romp.

Mike Fontenot and Matt Cain added two-run blasts, while Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford both clubbed a solo shot for the Giants.

San Francisco completed its first four-game sweep at Coors Field since August 26-29, 2002, and extended its winning streak to a season-best eight games.

“It was a great series for the offense,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

The Giants are still five games behind the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks, but closed to within four games of Atlanta in the wild card race.

Despite the rare run support, Cain (12-10) labored through five innings, tossing 111 pitches. The right-hander gave up five runs — three earned — on five hits and walked four.

The Giants averaged just 3.27 runs in Cain’s previous 31 starts this season.

Seth Smith and Ty Wigginton both had two hits and an RBI for Colorado. Esmil Rogers (6-6) was tagged for nine runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.

“The game boils down to this obviously; they hit six home runs that accounted for 10 of the 12 runs that they got. That’s it. There’s very little else to say,” Colorado manager Jim Tracy said.

The Giants took a 2-0 lead when Andres Torres led off the game with a walk and scored on Fontenot’s home run to right field.

San Francisco resumed its power surge after Smith’s sacrifice fly in the third.

Sandoval opened the fourth with a drive to left-center and Belt went deep two batters later. Crawford then doubled and scored on Cain’s fifth career home run, a two-out smash over the center-field wall.

After Torres walked and Rogers plunked Fontenot, Carlos Beltran hit an RBI single, chasing Rogers from the game.

Greg Reynolds took over on the mound and Sandoval greeted him by crushing a three-run homer to right field, extending the Giants’ lead to 10-1.

Colorado had two on with one out in the bottom of the fourth and a throwing error by Fontenot allowed Wigginton to score. Another runner came home on a fielder’s choice.

The Giants got one of the runs back on Crawford’s leadoff blast in the fifth, and the Rockies pushed across two runs in the home half on RBI hits by Wigginton and Chris Iannetta.

Beltran scored from third on an error in the sixth.

Game Notes

Giants closer Brian Wilson returned from the disabled list Sunday and tossed a 1-2-3 eighth, his first action since August 15 due to elbow inflammation…Rogers entered Sunday with a 9.86 ERA at home this season.

Giants vs. Rockies: Giants Looking For Second Straight Sweep

The San Francisco Giants are on a roll, currently on a seven game win streak and creeping their way back into the playoff race with every win. They’ll turn to All-Star Matt Cain this afternoon at Coors field to keep the Colorado Rockies offense at bay, and hopefully get some run support of his own as well.

Andres Torres will lead off and play center, while Mike Fontenot will play second and bat second. Brandon Belt will be in left, Brandon Crawford at short, and Eli Whiteside behind the dish to catch Cain this afternoon.

Your San Francisco Giants:

1. Andres Torres CF
2. Mike Fontenot 2B
3. Carlos Beltran RF
4. Pablo Sandoval 3B
5. Aubrey Huff 1B
6. Brandon Belt LF
7. Brandon Crawford SS
8. Eli Whiteside C
9. Matt Cain P

Colorado Rockies Lineup:

1. Eric Young CF
2. Hector Gomez SS
3. Jordan Pacheco 1B
4. Seth Smith RF
5. Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B
6. Ty Wigginton LF
7. Chris Iannetta C
8. Tommy Field 2B
9. Esmil Rogers P

First pitch is set for 12:10 pm PT with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more in depth discussion and analysis of the Black and Orange, make sure you head on over to McCovey Chronicles To get your voice heard, and get in on the action!

MLB Playoff Picture: Giants Gain In NL West, Hold Steady In NL Wildcard

The NL playoff picture remains just a little bit murky following Saturday September 17 action as the Giants gained another game on the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants escaped with a 6-5 win over the Colorado Rockies and coupled that with a 3-1 Padres win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With the win, the Giants move to within five games of the Diamondbacks with ten games to go. When you factor in three games between the two teams at Chase Field next weekend, this division is all the more interesting. The Giants were considered dead in the water as recently as a few days ago. Suddenly they've won seven straight behind an unexpected mix of solid veterans, older role players and an infusion of youth. While the Giants were still trying to win games, I don't think even they could have expected this recent run with their new lineup.

The Giants are also five games back of the Atlanta Braves in the wildcard race, although the St. Louis Cardinals are half a game in front of the Giants for now in second place. For the Giants purposes, the division race is where it's at. With four games before the Chase Field series, things could get really interesting really quickly.

Giants vs. Rockies: Battle of The Young Guns As Eric Surkamp & Drew Pomeranz Take the Mound

Two games played thus far in the series and the San Francisco Giants have 17 total runs at Coors Field. Now they must keep up that trend this evening in a battle of the young guns.

Call-up Eric Surkamp (2-0 3.24 ERA) will take the bump for San Francisco, facing another rookie in Drew Pomeranz (1-0 0.00 ERA) for the Colorado Rockies, both looking to keep a flawless record to their names. Pomeranz was one of the juicier prospects acquired in the Ubaldo Jimenez deal.

Skipper Bruce Bochy will go with a mix of veterans and rookies this evening as Andres Torres will leadoff and play center, while Mark DeRosa will batt clean up and play third for Pablo Sandoval. Rookie Brett Pill will play first, Orlando Cabrera will play short, while Justin Christian will be in left.

Your San Francisco Giants:

1. Andres Torres CF
2. Jeff Keppinger 2B
3. Carlos Beltran RF
4. Mark DeRosa 3B
5. Brett Pill 1B
6. Orlando Cabrera SS
7. Justin Christian LF
8. Chris Stewart C
9. Eric Surkamp P

Colorado Rockies Lineup:

1. Eric Young LF
2. Dexter Fowler CF
3. Jordan Pacheco 3B
4. Jason Giambi 1B
5. Ty Wigginton RF
6. Mark Ellis 2B
7. Wilin Rosario C
8. Hector Gomez SS
9. Drew Pomeranz P

First pitch is set for 5:10 pm PT this evening with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more discussion and analysis of the Black and Orange, head on over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action!

Brian Wilson's Marty McFly Nike's Takes Him Back To The Future For a Good Cause

MLB Playoff Picture: Giants Hanging Around In NL West & NL Wildcard Standings

The San Francisco Giants recent struggles have left them clawing rather desperately for a playoff spot in recent weeks. Just as all hope seemed lost, the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks have left just a flicker of hope for Giants fans. The odds are pretty high Arizona and Atlanta will crush those hopes over the final two weeks of the 2011 MLB season, but if a fan doesn't have any hope, what do they have?

On the same day that the Giants won their sixth straight game, the Atlanta Braves dropped a 12-2 decision to the New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks were shut out 2-0 by the Padres. The Giants victory moved them to within five games of the Braves in the NL wildcard standings and within six games of the DBacks in the NL West standings.

The Giants continue a three-game set with the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field while the Braves host two more against the Mets at home and the Diamondbacks play two more against the Padres at Petco Park. The Giants would still have to leapfrog the St. Louis Cardinals in the wildcard standings, but they remain the only team directly behind Arizona.

The next six days could prove incredibly interesting in the NL West race. Next weekend the Giants and Diamondbacks square off for three games at AT&T Park. Before then, the Giants face Colorado twice and LA three times in SoCal. On the other hand, the Diamondbacks face the Padres twice and head home for three with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Giants likely need to shave at least two games off the standings between now and next Friday. It should make for an exciting week of baseball.

Giants vs. Rockies, MLB Scores: Bumgarner Gets Fifth in a Row, Giants Win 9-1

It seemed like just yesterday that the San Francisco Giants were in first place, and Madison Bumgarner was 0-6. Now the G-Men barely have a playoff pulse while Bummy has worked his record back to even par, and behind three bombs got his fifth win in a row by the score of 9-1.

Bumgarner (W 12-12) pitched very well in seven innings pitched this evening, allowing only one unearned run on six hits. He walked one and struck out three along the way, throwing 97 pitches and leaving with a very comfortable lead. It was his first career victory over Colorado too, another little monkey off his back.

Brandon Belt started the offense out with a two run bomb in the second, his seventh on the year, followed by a Cody Ross solo shot in the fifth, his 100th of his career. Ross would add a RBI single in the sixth, but left later that inning with a strained hamstring.

From there Madison Bumgarner helped himself, hitting a two run double over the head of Dexter Fowler, followed by an RBI single from Brandon Crawford. Chris Stewart would put the icing on the cake though, blasting his second homer of the season in the seventh.

Most of the rookies would come in after the seventh, though one familiar face made his first appearance in quite a while. Thats right, we had a Barry Zito sighting in the ninth, working a scoreless frame with one hit and one strikeout.

With the win the Giants move to 81-70, and are now on a six game winning streak. Full box score can be found here.

Pablo Sandoval Cycle: Watch The Panda Hit For the Cycle At Coors Field

Giants vs. Rockies MLB Schedule Preview: Madison Bumgarner Goes For 5th Straight In What Could Be Last Game

The San Francisco Giants find themselves on an impressive win streak, and whether or not that seems too-little, too-late at this point doesn't really matter ... just that they continue to win and not roll over. Ryan Vogelsong had a strong outing, supported by Pablo Sandoval and his impressive cycle in game one against the Colorado Rockies, and Madison Bumgarner will be looking to replicate that.

It's probably hard to hope that one of your guys will hit for the cycle to support you, though. Sandoval started off the cycle with a home-run in the first, and followed that by a single in the second, a double in the fifth, and a triple when Carlos Gonzalez misplayed a fly ball. Still, Bumgarner's stuff has been impressive in his last four outings, and looking at what could possibly be his last start this season, he's shooting for a career-high five straight wins.

His last outing was on September 11th, giving up one run off of three hits in five innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers, while striking out eight in that time. He's 11-12 on the season with a 3.33 earned run average, but has a 1.30 ERA in his last four starts, striking out 34 and posting a 0.94 WHIP over 27 2/3 innings. Since the All-Star break, he's arguably been the Giants best pitcher, with a 7-3 mark.

Alex White will be taking the mound for the Rockies, and despite the fact that he's got a 3-1 record, he's really been struggling. In just four games with the Rockies since being acquired mid-season, he's got an 8.18 ERA, giving up nine home runs in that time. Nine home runs in just four starts ... so the Giants definitely have a chance at regaining some of that NL West ground for at least another game, providing the Arizona Diamondbacks lose again.

Still, White hasn't been all-that bad, but there's little good to reflect on. The good is that the Rockies offense always seems to go alive when he's on the mound for whatever reason, so Bumgarner needs to be on notice. At the very least, it looks like Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton won't be playing again, as they're both still suffering from injuries.

Giants vs. Rockies: Pablo Hits For Cycle, Belt Homers, Giants Win 8-5

Ryan Vogelsong hadn’t won a game for the San Francisco Giants since the 14th of August, and headed to Coors Field looking to end that streak. And thanks to a historic night for Pablo Sandoval and a few defensive miscues for the Colorado Rockies, Vogelsong and the Giants triumphed by a score of 8-5.

Pablo became only the 10th San Francisco Giant to hit for the cycle, starting the game off with a two run bomb in the first, followed by a single in the second. His double to left field in the fifth got everyone’s attention, and when Carlos Gonzalez misplayed a fly ball off the wall, Pablo hustled around and slid into third to complete his perfect 4-4 night.

Cody Ross’ RBI groundout in the second started the Giants next rally, followed by Jeff Keppinger’s sac fly and an error from Jordan Pacheco plated Ross to make it 5-0 G-Men. Mark Ellis RBI single in the third and Pacecho’s homer in the fourth got the Rox on the board, and they would make it interesting down the stretch.

San Francisco had stretched their lead to 7-2 by the seventh when Colorado staged a big comeback with three runs in the inning, highlighted by a Chris Iannetta blast, his 13th of the season. Brandon Belt gave the Giants a bit of insurance with a solo shot in the eighth, giving them jsut enough cushion to finish off the Rockies comfortably.

Vogelsong (W 11-7) had some long innings in the thin air at Coors Field, lasting only 5 and 1/3 innings while throwing 104 pitches. He limited the damage to two runs on four hits, along with four walks and eight strikeouts; definitely a higher number of K’s than usual for him.

Steve Edlefsen struggled in his 2/3 innings of work, allowing three runs, but Dan Runzler, Ramon Ramierez, and Santiago Casilla held it down from there, with Casilla earning his 4th save of the season.

With the win the GIants move to 80-70 on the year. Full box score can be found here.