Your 2010 Giants are 14-10: Catching Some Marlins

The Giants just finished off probably their best homestand of recent years and yet many fans, including me, felt unsatisfied. They beat three projected playoff teams, winning each series, 2-1, finishing a nice 6-3, which could not have been foreseen, but because they had the "gall" to win the first two games of each series, we all were thinking "sweep" and ended up with the bitter taste of losses on our tongues.

Still, as I've been preaching, look at the final results: 6-3 homestand against tough playoff-bound projected teams, and even if they were hurting a little, so were we, Rowand was DLed and Sanchez has been battling a tough cold. Our offense took on Halladay, as well as other tough pitchers in Garcia, Wainwright, Penny, Hamels, Cook and Chacin, and they did well overall. Now they go on a road trip, starting out in Florida against the Marlins.

Game 1: Anibal Sanchez vs. Lincecum

Sanchez has been one of their prospect that they have been waiting on. His problem had been too many walks and homers, and while he got both of those way down, to acceptable levels, now his strikeout rate is too low. He appears to have been lucky so far.
Still, he'll have to be really good if he hopes to beat Lincecum and the Giants. Should be a Giants win.

Game 2: Nate Robertson vs. Zito

The worse pitcher on the Marlins staff, facing Zito coming off his best April ever. Should be a Giants in the win column type of day.

Game 3: Ricky Nolasco vs. Cain

The Giants at least avoids Josh Johnson, who has been the best Marlin's starter this season, but do face Ricky Nolasco, who was pretty good in 2008 but was lost in 2009, and probably is around where he should be this season, around high 3 ERA. That is basically Cain's area of talent, so it should be a close game, particularly since we are on the road, too close to lean one way or the other.

Giants Thoughts

An amazing factoid came out from SF Chronicle: the Giants had a streak of 13 games in which their starters gave up two runs or fewer. According to STATS, Inc., that 13-gamer was one shy of the best such streak in the majors since 1952. The 1965-66 White Sox and the 1968 Pirates each had a 14-gamer. The 13-gamer tied the San Francisco record set in June of the pennant-winning season of 1989. The Giants' starters in that stretch 21 years ago: Dennis Cook, Don Robinson, Scott Garrelts, Rick Reuschel and Atlee Hammaker. As infrequent as these have occurred in the past, I think the Giants will be regularly doing this, particularly once Bumgarner joins the rotation.

Looks like the Giants should win another series.  The Marlins have not been that good at home, though their run differential tells a different story than their W/L.  Still, we got our best pitchers so far going against them and we avoid their best pitcher, Johnson.  Also, Huff's bat is waking up, he is a notorious slow starter, with bad April stats, and seems to heat up with the weather, which should be good in Miami.

However, I read somewhere the Hanley Ramirez's bat is starting to wake up, and given the team's problems with preventing base stealers - I mean, really, Jason Giambi got a SB? - if he's getting on and running amok, that could spell trouble for our pitchers.  It should be tight games, but the Giants should have the edge this series because of our pitching.