San Francisco Giants Starting Pitching will End Their Season

Just about one month ago, I stated the Giants needed to survive the month of August to have a chance.

Despite going 11-13 to this point in August, they are still technically alive.

They have scored 4.4 runs per game this month. Not bad.

The problem is the starting pitching has forgotten how to get anybody out.

For this entire conversation, Matt Cain is excluded. His 2.76 ERA this month excuses him from the tirade this will become.

Individually, the starting pitchers have ERAs of 7.82, 6.15, 7.76 and 4.23. This comes out to a total of 6.45.

Let's see...If the starting pitchers are giving up over six runs per contest and the Giants only score 4.4 runs per game, those are not very good averages are they?

It might be deemed excusable if these were home runs and they were not giving up a lot of hits. But that isn't the case.

In 106 innings, the Giants starting pitchers have yielded 134 hits and walked 46. That is a WHIP of 1.70.

This week has been a clear indication of this. The only game this week where a Giants starting pitcher gave up fewer than five runs was Cain on Monday.

Not sure what sort of training Lincecum is or is not doing, but something has to change. He is sporting a 7.82 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP this month.

He has only lasted past six innings once this month, and that was on August 5.

Barry Zito has returned to his 2007-08 form. In 26.2 innings, Zito has given up 38 hits. His ERA? 7.76.

Asking the Giants offense to muster anything above five runs (this week notwithstanding) is asking way too much. No team should have to do that.

Right at the trade deadline, Giants management sought to fix the bridge from the starting staff to closer Brian Wilson.

They did that.

It has become apparent the Giants now need a bridge from the first inning to the bullpen.

This help is not coming.

They had the perfect opportunity to shrink the gap in the National League West and keep pace with the Phillies in the Wild Card. What have the Giants done?

Choked away one game and handed the last place Diamondbacks two wins after Lincecum and Zito failed to deliver, again.

Unless the Giants starting staff fixes whatever problems are aching them, it will be a very, very long September.