SAN FRANCISCO ? The Giants and A?s completed a three-game series Sunday afternoon, and the three games were a barometer, told us something important. We now have a clear idea where each local team stands at this stage of the season.
For the first time since 2004, the Giants do not suck. The A?s, on the other hand, completely and utterly suck. If you disagree with that assessment of Oakland, watch Jack Cust play right field, watch the A?s try to hit, watch Jason Giambi end Sunday?s game by striking out on three pitches. Oh, please spare yourself the misery of watching.
Enough said about the A?s because they are not a story. But the Giants most definitely are a story and here are some of the storylines.
The presence and then the absence of Barry Lamar Bonds ruined this ballclub for years, put the Giants into a protracted winter of discontent. They are ? unbelievably ? entering something like a spring thaw.
The Giants told us they would have good pitching this season and they weren?t lying. They have one of the best starting rotations in the major leagues. And their closer, Brian Wilson, seems to have rediscovered how to throw strikes. As he?s learning, that helps immensely.
Sunday starter Matt Cain pitched a complete game. (Tim Lincecum pitched a shutout on Friday.) Cain gave up no hits after the third inning.
Manager Bruce Bochy considered taking him out for the ninth inning. Bochy approached Cain to discuss the matter but according to Bochy, Cain ?had that look.?
Bochy didn?t say what the look was, but the look probably meant something like, ?Get out of here or I?ll poke you in the eye.? That kind of look.
?We weren?t going to let him go far,? Bochy said later in the safety of an interview room. ?It had to be a real easy inning for him to finish it.?
It was and he did.
Cain now has a record of 9-1. That?s a very good record. That?s the kind of record that gets someone a start in the All Star Game.
In the 27 innings the Giants and A?s played Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Giants pitchers gave up three runs. Giants relievers pitched ? get this ? only two innings. The starters handled the rest. That?s complete domination of a bad ballclub by an improving ballclub.
The Giants still are not a great hitting club, still don?t show much power, but their pitching is keeping them alive for the time being, and that could last all season.
The Giants are currently the leader in the National League wild-card race. That?s right, the leader, marginally ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals. Which means they are a definite contender, which means they once again matter in the world of big-league baseball after being irrelevant for years.
Our perceptions of the Giants are changing so quickly, it could lead to feelings of vertigo. If you experience Giants vertigo, drink a glass of water and take a nap. Or better yet, attend an A?s game. That will calm you down.
The Giants? home record is 21-9. Last year it was 37-44, a brutal home record. For the Giants to succeed, they need to do well at home. So far, they?re doing just that.
Which brings us to the upcoming week. It is an interesting, important week in the evolving Giants? storyline of 2009. You see, two American League West teams come to AT&T Park ? the Angels for three games, followed by the Rangers for three.
?We need pitching and hopefully some timely hitting,? Bochy said, reiterating the Giants? template for winning ? he can?t realistically expect overpowering hitting.
The Angels and Rangers are at the Giants? level ? good, not great. The Rangers are an improving team, like the Giants; the Angels are in decline. Both teams can hit. Both will test the Giants? starters in a way the A?s never could.
For example, how will Barry Zito do tonight against the Angels and John Lackey? If the Giants win, say, four of the next six games, that will be positive to the max. If they split the six, you?d say OK. Anything worse, they still have a way to go.
In other words, the next six games tell us if the Giants are for real.
For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular, please visit the Cohn Zohn at http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/cohn. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at 521-5486 or lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.
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