Are the Giants for real?

Here’s the question du jour. Are the Giants for real?

We bring this up because the baseball season is fast approaching the halfway point and the Giants are playing pretty good ball and may have a future this season. Then again, they may not.

So, are they for real?

It all depends on how you define real. They are real in the sense of having improved, in the sense of being able to win a lot of games, some against good teams. This is a kind of real.

Here is a factoid that may surprise you. Before the start of games on Saturday, the Giants had the second-best record in the entire National League. Bet you didn’t know that. Their winning percentage, .542, surpassed St. Louis, the Cubs, the Brewers, Mets and Phillies — all good teams. They have a better winning percentage than two division leaders. Their problem is they play in the NL West and the Dodgers are off-the-charts successful. It does not seem likely the Giants ever will catch the Dodgers, although you never know. But the Giants are a serious wild-card contender.

Nearing the halfway point, they are the wild-card favorite. That’s very real.

Here’s some more real. The Giants achieved their 39-33 record against teams with a combined record of 538-552. They have thrived against teams with an aggregate losing record, but not a grotesque losing record. Going forward they will play teams with a combined record of 510-508, so things get a little more difficult, but nothing daunting.

One quick note on those combined records. I checked them three times but they still may be wrong. I’m a math moron, never could figure out how fast Jimmy was traveling in the rowboat on the river when the current was 3 mph in his direction. I never knew what Jimmy was doing in that rowboat in the first place and if his parents gave him permission. Maybe he should have been home reading a book.

Why are the Giants improved? That’s easy. Pitching. Pitching. Pitching. They currently have two and a half really good pitchers. The two are Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. The half is Randy Johnson, who can look great and then run out of gas and get run out of the ballpark. After those two and a half, they have a half. Barry Zito, improved but still unreliable, is one quarter of a starting pitcher until he proves otherwise. Jonathan Sanchez also is one quarter of a starter — can’t hit his spots, routinely gets blasted. He may be a reliever before long. So far, two and a half really good starters are enough to make the Giants real.

Brian Wilson is usually a lights-out reliever, except Saturday night when he got his brains beat out, and the men who precede him, Sergio Romo and Jeremy Affeldt, are excellent.

The Giants have a very good outfield now that Aaron Rowand has relearned the arts of hitting and fielding, and now that they benched Fred Lewis for Nate Schierholtz. Randy Winn is a reliable player and a good teammate.

Their infield is so-so. That’s the honest truth. Pablo Sandoval is one of those delightful surprises that come along once every few years. He is a better fielder than most thought and he has more power than the Giants projected and he gets his uniform dirty and is a gamer. The rest of the infield is adequate at best. Edgar Renteria has lost his range and doesn’t hit well enough. The Giants don’t really have a second baseman. And Travis Ishikawa has not taken advantage of his opportunity — unlike Sandoval, who has.

Bengie Molina remains a terrific catcher and hitter. He is sensitive and his feelings are hurt because he thinks — perhaps correctly — the Giants don’t want him after this season. His sensitivity is affecting his play.

That’s the skinny on the Giants. They have a good chance of going to the postseason as a wildcard. Once in the postseason, will they get far? No, they won’t. They will not get far. That’s a little too real for this developing club.

Note: I’m going on vacation and will return for the NFL training camps and exhibition games. I wish you a healthy and prosperous July.

For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular go to the Cohn Zohn at blog.pressdemocrat.com/cohn. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at 521-5486 or lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.