San Francisco Giants Roundtable: First Month Thoughts and Observations

Twenty-seven games into the 2009 season and your San Francisco Giants are above the .500 mark. A 14-13 record heading into the second week of May is something that hasn’t been seen in two years.

Some good pitching and some not-so-good hitting have been on display at AT&T Park.

Now with Manny Ramirez banished for the next 50 games after whatever the hell it is he took, the Giants now have a glimmer of hope.

As Barry Zito said on his Twitter page, “it’s time for the Giants to capitalize.”

And what a perfect way to have the Dodgers start their Manny-less period than against the Gigantes?

The Giants Community Leader roundtable returns and with two of the three flooded in reading assignments and term papers, having the chance to discuss a little hardball was a pleasant break.

Evan Aczon

The pitching has come back around. My thoughts on that are: it’s about damn time. The Giants are a team that hinges on pitching, and I'll take four strong outings out of five any time through the rotation.

Lincecum's little adjustment has put him back in Cy Young form. Zito throwing to either Steve Holm or Pablo Sandoval seems to be working out. Randy Johnson is off-and-on but as the season wears on, it'll be more on than anything else.

Matt Cain is solid, as always, and this year he's getting run support, which could be scary. Jonathan Sanchez skipped a start but is back in the groove. I'm finally warming up to him, and he's got nasty stuff.

On the offensive side, there hasn't been anyone who's been extremely consistent. Bengie Molina is hitting over .300, but there's not much else going on.

Fred Lewis is heating back up after a very hot start followed by an equally cold spell. If he can stop striking out three times a game, he'll really start to contribute.

Sandoval is also showing more selectivity in his swings, and his offense is better for it. He's playing every day, and if the Giants can keep him healthy, he'll only get better.

Aaron Rowand has to produce. He did earlier, and he can do it again. His average isn't showing it, but he's driving the ball and using the whole field as of late.

In my opinion, Nate Schierholtz has to get more playing time, and he has been with the injury to Winn and should get more if Lewis doesn't produce.

Defensively, this team is doing great. That will keep Emmanuel Burriss on the field, and same with Ishikawa. They're two great defenders and aren't causing me any pain because of their plate performance.

Renteria is also solid up the middle, and has lost a step (see the Colorado game with three straight infield hits), but he's not making errors all over the place.

I'd like to see Rich Aurilia play more, and he's also playing his role very well, coming in against lefties and also getting the big hit that other young guys haven't been able to get all game. I also like Jesus Torres and hope he comes back soon. He hustles and knows what to do out there.

The same cannot be said for Eugenio Velez. I'm sorry, but I'm just not a fan. Yes, he's fast, but he doesn't know how to steal, doesn't get on base when he needs to, and is still a liability in the outfield.

Overall, the Giants are right where we thought they'd be: at .500. That's probably how its going to stay for a majority of the year, with some hot and cold spurts. I'm encouraged by Zito's strong April and by the fact that Cain's getting run support.

Wilson is locking down the back of the bullpen, and I think that, although Howry is getting knocked around a bit, he'll settle into a role. Bochy needs to use Merkin Valdez more in some of Howry's spots.

Good job, Giants, and keep up the pitching. The hits will fall, and the wins will come.

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