The San Francisco Giants haven't had the best of seasons thus far, playing really inconsistent baseball with a stunning consistency. Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Barry Zito Ryan Vogelsong are one of the best groups of pitchers in the league, and at times they'll look like it, to be sure. But at other times ... they just don't. Tim Lincecum will be erratic with hits allowed while still somehow striking out a thousand batters, while Jonathan Sanchez is walking the side every other time out.
Don't even get me started when it comes to batting, if you can call it town. Mike Fontenot was "the hot batter," lately, and I'm not referring to his dashing good looks. That tiny little person (really, I could pick him up and actually put him in my pocket. No lie. No exaggeration. A little exaggeration..) actually was the guy who was hitting in the lineup, while Freddy Sanchez, Aubrey Huff and Cody Ross looked terrible. What a position to be in, especially when it's not helped by someone like, oh ... you know, Miguel Tejada. Doesn't it hurt to just read that name these days, Giants fans?
And yet, they remain firmly entrenched in second place in the NL West, just half a game back of the Colorado Rockies, and three games up on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Needless to say, this isn't the toughest division in baseball, but it will probably be close once again, down the stretch. Which is why the Giants need to improve upon one stat: their 12-7 record against NL West foes. It's a good start, to be sure, and taking 5-of-6 from the Rockies so far has to feel good. It's actually the best strategy right now: if you're going to lose games, make sure they're outside of the NL West.
Stay the course, Giants - leave that panic button for later on in the season when it will inevitably be pushed, because torture is torture, after all.