The defending champion San Francisco Giants didn’t get off to the hot start that they wanted to against their rival Los Angeles Dodgers, losing 3 out of 4 in Chavez Ravine. A number of defensive miscues and less than stellar performances from the bullpen really kept the Giants from having more success this weekend, but they still have a long, long way to go in their season to get on track for the another playoff push.
Giants Pitcher of the Series: Matt Cain- The only starter for the G-Men who didn’t allow an earned run, Cain went 5 innings allowing 5 hits, no walks, and 3 strikeouts in the Giants win on Saturday. Although he didn’t get a massive amount of strikeouts, his pitch hand was strong and was looking sharp in his first outing of the season.
Giants Hitter(s) of the Series:Freddy Sanchez & Brandon Belt- Freddy got off to a great start this season, sporting a .467 average (7-15) with 5 RBI and a home run, making the Giants decision to extend his contract look even better. Brandon Belt had a great coming out party this weekend in L.A., bombing a 3 run homer on Friday and currently leading the team with 4 RBI. Hopefully he can keep it up and possibly have back-to-back rookies of the year for the Giants.
Stat of the Series: 5 errors- The G-Men committed 5 errors in their series with the Dodgers, currently tied for second in the MLB with the Kansas City Royals. The only team with more was the other Bay Area team, the Oakland A’s with 7. Maybe it was nerves or something, but the Giants will need to clean up the fielding and in a hurry.
Upcoming Schedule: The Giants will head down to San Diego for a two game series with the Padres starting on Tuesday. From there they will finally have their home opener on Friday April 8th, and have a six game homestand against the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers where San Francisco will raise their World Series banner, hand out their championship rings, and honor Buster Posey for his Rookie of the Year award.
Series Results:
Thursday: Dodgers 2-1
WP: Clayton Kershaw (1-0)
LP: Tim Lincecum (0-1)
SV: Jonathan Broxton (1)
Friday: Dodgers 4-3
WP: Chad Billingsley (1-0)
LP: Jonathan Sanchez (0-1)
SV: Jonathan Broxton (2)
Saturday: Giants 10-0
WP: Matt Cain (1-0)
LP: Ted Lilly (0-1)
Sunday: Dodgers 7-5
WP: Hiroki Kuroda (1-0)
LP: Dan Runzler (0-1)
SV: Jonathan Broxton (3)