San Francisco Giants: Another Hideous Lineup By Manager Bruce Bochy

Let me just begin by stating that you will not see an image from Tuesday's Braves Giants game similar to this here article's photo unless Bengie Molina comes up as a pinch-hitter.

That's right, Giants' cleanup hitter Bengie Molina is out of the lineup for the second time in five games to start the second half.

Blimey Harry but don't cha need your main RBI guy in the lineup more than just 60% of the time?

To be fair, Molina's season pace is quite on par with how many games he started in last season, but in the last few series before the all-star break, Molina started getting extra days off.

Granted a couple of games were due to Molina being away for the birth of his daughter, but these past two off days have come on the road and due to neither injury nor personal reasons.

The Giants don't have enough offense to keep up their first-half pace regardless, and yet they still seem to lower their chances to score runs with the lineups that Manager Bruce Bochy comes up with time and time again.

I don't know how many articles I've written on this topic but let's just look at Tuesday night's lineup:

Randy Winn       .275/.321/.391, 2 HR 37 RBI, 9 SB

John Bowker      .190/.250/.333, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 21 AB

Pablo Sandoval   .327/.377/.562, 15 HR, 56 RBI

Travis Ishikawa   .263/.316/.419, 7 HR 29 RBI

Fred Lewis         .249/.336/.385, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 6 SB

Edgar Renteria   .256/.310/.318, 2 HR, 38 RBI

Matt Downs       .194/.302/.306, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 36 AB

Eli Whiteside      .250/.265/.292, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 48 AB

Other than Pablo Sandoval and Randy Winn, this lineup is filled with washed up veterans, backup catchers, and mediocre youngsters.

With the Giants' best hitter Pablo Sandoval in a funk, don't be surprised if Derek Lowe no-hits the Gigantes on Tuesday night.

I mean in all reality, I would much rather have the Fresno Grizzlies lineup face Lowe than what Bochy has put together for Tuesday night's ball game.

Heck with the Giants' Triple A affiliate having prospects like Buster Posey, and Jesus Guzman on the team, and now the demoted Kevin Frandsen and solid minor leaguers Brian Horwitz and Ryan Rohlinger, its not too far fetched of an idea.

With Tuesday night's lineup structured the way it was to start the game, why would Lowe give Pablo Sandoval a single pitch in the strike zone?

The 4-5-6 combo of hitters behind Sandoval are Ishikawa-Lewis-Renteria. Is that anything to fear for a big league pitcher? Is that anything to fear for a Double-A pitcher?

Perhaps Molina is injured, or there is some unknown reason for his absence in the lineup but if he has to take a day off for the second time on this road trip, it would make sense to give him the day off on Thursday when the Giants and Braves play a day game.

People may say that I unfairly critique Bruce Bochy's lineups and that I need to relax and hold off on the criticisms.

However, in response, I must say that I do not want to critique the Giants manager but he makes it extremely easy.

Please feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts on the Giants and their lineup for Tuesday's game.

It is now five games into the second-half of the season and the Giants have yet to start a game with all eight of their regulars in the starting lineup.

Granted Aaron Rowand is injured for Tuesday's game but even still, Bochy has been putting together egregiously terrible lineup after egregiously terrible lineup.