The San Fransisco Giants are Champions of the National League West!!!

For the second time in two years, the Giants are going to the playoffs!

Its  definitely a satisfying thought, considering that:
-Wilson was out of the season early because he had to have a Tommy John Surgery.
-In May the Giants were 7.5 games behind the red hot Dodgers.
-Then Melky Cabrera was suspended in August for testosterone use. (August actually ended up being the Giants most successful month.)

Even though there were many nail biting parts of the season, there were also so many memorable games.
Matt Cain's Perfect Game, the Giants involvement in the All-Star Games, the few times the Giants swept the Dodgers....
The 2012 season will definitely stay in my memory forever!!!

I truly believe that the return of Buster Posey is one of the main reasons that the Giants are able to taste the Postseason.
The added offense provided by Marco Scutaro and Hunter Pence have also been a game changer!
Since their arrival at the beginning of August, the two players combined have had 80 RBI's!!

And now, starting on October 6, the Giants will begin the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds.
We can only hope for a repeat of the 2010 Postseason!!
Go Giants!!! :)

Marco Scutaro?

I don't think anyone could have imagined the impact that Marco Scutaro would have on the Giants offense...at least I didn't anyways. I was told that he was able to hit in clutch situations, but who could have expected him to hit .363 (33-for-91) with 12 RBIs and six doubles over his past 22 games,
as opposed 30 RBI's in 95 games with the Rockies?

I find it a little ironic because sites like Fox Sports and MLB kept reporting about the Hanley Ramirez trade and the Blockbuster trade, saying it would help the Dodgers to make their way back to first place. Yet here they are, with 18 games left in the regular season, and they are in second place. 7.5 games behind the Giants.
They didn't say much about the Marco Scutaro trade, but he's the one who is actually making a difference!

Hanely Ramirez has been a great pick up for the Dodgers. His defense is amazing, and he provides a considerable amount of offense. He is a dangerous hitter!
But Adrian Gonzalez has not yet settled in with his new team. He hasn't found the usual excel lance at the plate that he had in Boston.
And Josh Beckett is 1-3 since coming the the Dodgers.

Although the Giants didn't go for "big" well known players, they have been able to shape the players that they got, into players that are able win games by producing runs in small situations.
They usually don't score runs by hitting home runs.....

 So was Marco Scutaro a good pick up?

Yeah, I think so! He has truly exceeded my expectations!!
 

National League West Postseason Showdown, tonight at AT&T Park!

Tonight the Giants and the Dodgers will compete in one of the most important series of the season.

The Giants are now in first place, 4.5 games ahead of the Dodgers.

Tonight, newly acquired Josh Beckett (6-12, 5.03 ERA) will pitch against Tim Lincecum (8-14, 5.21 ERA). This series could determine [which team] will be left standing in the end.

Anything could happen....and usually does!

Go Giants!!!!

Giants fans vs. Dodger fans.

During the series against the Dodgers last week, I noticed how different Dodger Stadium is this year At around this time last year, the Dodgers organization was nearly bankrupt, they were nearly in last place, and they were having a hard time getting fans there.

This year, however, is a completely different story.
 "Magic" Johnson bought the Dodgers, therefore giving the organization more money to spend on "big" players. And that is exactly what they have done. They got Hanley Ramirez, Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Nick Punto, and Carl Crawford.
Now the Dodgers are in 2nd place. Two games behind the Giants.
Now fans flock to see their games, because they have a shot at the Playoffs.

But Giants fans have stuck to their team.
Even in the years when the Giants did poorly, thousands of fans flocked to the games every day. After the World Series, thousands of fans still showed up. And even last year, when the Giants lost Buster Posey and had a pretty bad season, it still didn't matter.
Through rain and shine: Giants fans stay with their team.
 It doesn't matter what place they are in.

Maybe it's just me, but I think that the Giants have the best fans in all of Major League Baseball! :)

Cabrera suspended....

Yes, its true: on Wednesday the news that Melky Cabrera has been suspended for 50 games for testing positive for testosterone leaked out.

I liked Melky Cabrera, but I hate what he did. He came to the Giants, started off well, then got caught, and we found out that all his glory.....wasn't really him.

I think that he wanted to prove that he could play the game; that he could be successful. His time with the Braves and the Yankees didn't go so well, and I'm sure both teams (and their fans) were glad to see him go...

But his season with the Giants picked up quickly. By May he was the hottest hitter in all of Major League Baseball. He even won the MVP award in the All-Star Game....

Melky Cabrera added a spark to the lineup. He was batting third, with Posey hitting cleanup, and it made the Giants lineup pretty dangerous!

I'm sure a lot of Giants fans became discouraged when they heard of Cabrera's suspension. The Dodgers had squeaked back into first (by half of a game), and Wednesday's loss to the Nationals was depressing.

Interestingly enough though, the Giants have been doing pretty well without Cabrera. They have scored 17 runs in their first two games against the Padres, and they have never done well in Petco Park. Even hitters like Arias and Blanco have been able to get on base!!!

Yes, for now I am content with the Giants lineup. I think they just need to work on their starting pitching and their bullpen, and then I think they have a chance for the playoffs!!
Don't Stop Believing!!!

Pence: first home run as a Giant.

I have to admit that I wasn't too thrilled when I heard that the Giant's had acquired Hunter Pence.

I remembered him from his time with the Phillies, particularly the series that the Giants played against the Phillies back in June, and I wasn't too impressed with his stats, even though he did have 17 home runs.

Before yesterday, Pence was hitting .149 (7-47) with no home runs and eight RBI's.

Yesterday, however, with the game tied 6-6, Pence came with up with two on and two out: and he blasted the ball out to center field extending the Giants lead to 9-6.

Romo closed the top of the 9th, and the Giants went on to win the game.

The Giants are still in 1st place; 1 game ahead of the L.A. Dodgers.

**Fun fact: Pence's home run, was the first home run hit by any Giant (other than Posey) in AT&T Park since late June.**

Giants get Pence.

    As the Trade Deadline drew to a close, the Giants made their final trade. They acquired Phillies right fielder Hunter Pence. In return, the Phillies received  right fielder Nate Schierholtz, catching prospect Tommy Joseph, and minor league right- hander Seth Rosin.

During his time with the Phillies, Pence was hitting only .271; however he has hit 17 home runs and has 59 RBI's. As a Giant, Pence has only had 6 at bats (and still has no hits) but he's still settling in. He just needs time to adjust to his new team.

It will be hard (for me at least) to get used to Schierholtz being gone.
Sure, he didn't do so well this year, but he really didn't get enough playing time. Most of the time he was brought late into the game, and he didn't start all that often.
Yet he was the one who doubled home the tying run on Monday night. (even though Casilla came in and they ended up losing that game!)
But Shcierholtz had such a quiet personality, and he was a likable person...plus he was a clutch hitter!
Besides, it must be weird for Schierholtz to go play for the very team he faced, and defeated, in the 2010 NLCS.

Still, I wish both Hunter Pence and Nate Schierholtz the best of luck, and I hope that they succeed with their new teams!