Lincecum, Torres, Posey, Panda, and The Bullpen= Playoffs

The hunt for Orange October begins in earnest tonight in Dodgerland. Three games out of first place. Two games out of the Wildcard lead. The battle lines are drawn- beginning tonight with the next ten games on the road against NL West foes.

The Giants have a chance. Quite a good chance actually. A chance to hit their season-best stride now and get momentum in their corner as they race toward the playoffs for the first time since 2003. They must become road warriors. They must rise above their streaks and lapses. They must become Giants!

As the calendar changed from August to September, spirits have been lifted as we all watched Timmy return to form; for one night at least. If The Freak can become The Franchise again and pitch like he did masterfully against the Rockies during his last start then San Francisco has a great shot at either the Wild Card or the Division.

The Giants have the cogs in the machine to make this thing work. With Lincecum hopefully returning to form, then San Francisco can have a stud and a stopper again when he takes the mound. A stud as his Cy Young trophies can attest to, and a stopper in case the Giants need to stop a losing streak.

If Lincecum can keep his fastball down in the zone more and get some more velocity on it, then it makes his breaking ball and off-speed pitches much more devastating. When he's on, there really is nobody you would rather have on the mound. He's a bulldog. He battles. He's the leader of the staff.

Along with Lincecum, Andres Torres, Buster Posey, and the entire bullpen need to play their tails off and help the Giants bring playoff fever back to The City.

Andres Torres has become the little engine that could! He hits the ball with power, and his defense has been outstanding. He has become a legitimate threat at the leadoff spot, just as Ricky Henderson used to do, Torres can pop one out at any given time as evidenced by his 14 homers.

His ability to deliver a big hit and make a great defensive play has given this lineup some tenacity and power right from the first pitch of the game. Having bounced around the league with different teams, Torres seems to have found a home in San Francisco. He's the kind of player fans root for; an underdog turned superhero who gets the job done.

Buster Posey has made the Giants season. He really has. Without his emergence and breakout, the Giants would be much farther back in the NL West and Wild Card races, most likely out of sight in the rear view mirror.

Buster has shown the poise of a seasoned veteran. He has produced big hit after big hit. His ability to take pitches the other way to right center, and right field have made him a constant threat each time he steps in the batter's box.

On top of his hitting prowess, which includes a .329 average going in to the Dodger series, Posey has handled the pitching staff quite well as the full time starter. He rarely gets too many shake-offs from the pitchers during the game, and he has obviously studied and done his homework on knowing what each pitcher likes to throw, and how to throw using their strengths.

A catcher is typically one of the leaders on a team, and a position that commands leadership in general and a strong feel for the game. Look around the league at the different managers who were once big league catcher- Mike Scioscia of the Angels, Joe Girardi of the Yankees, and of course the Giants own Bruce Bochy.

Posey is already a leader on the field, and he's making this playoff push for the Giants possible.

Pablo Sandoval, he can make fans and Giants coaches pull their hair out. After last season's success, this season has been a disappointment for The Panda. While everyone expected him to swing at everything, we all thought those swings would result in many more hits than what has happened.

Sandoval was projected to be in the 25-30 range as the season began, but with only 12 homers as this weekend's series began, he will be woefully short of reaching those expectations. The Giants would take singles and doubles in lieu of the strikeouts and double plays he has hit in to.

If Pablo can find his swing now, and become a legitimate threat in the order instead of an easy out in the seventh or eighth spot, the Giants will really have a great chance to catch and pass the Padres and/or Phillies.

Another mus have this last month of the season is a stellar bullpen performance by all that take the mound for San Francisco. With the roster expansion and minor league call-ups, the Giants have enough arms to carry them to the finish line. It's just a matter of who will step-up and pitch like every inning is the ninth inning of Game 7 in the World Series.

There can be no mental mistakes. No walking the leadoff man to start an inning. No fear. The bullpen was a source of strength and hope as the season began. But outside of some good pitching here and there, the bullpen has been relatively inconsistent and erratic; except for closer Brian Wilson. He has been lights out and has nerves of steel. That guy is a stud!

The other members of the bullpen need to elevate their game and be the bullpen the Giants hoped for when they broke spring training. Jeremy Affeldt has to be the lefty stopper the Giants so desperately need him to be. He has to be able to get out the tough lefties the Giants will face late in the game such as Adrian Gonzales of the Padres, Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies, and Andre Ethier of the Dodgers.

Guillermo Mota, Chris Ray, Santiago Casilla, Dan Runzler, Sergio Romo, Ramon Ramirez, and Javier Lopez will make or break San Francisco's playoff hopes. If these guys can throw strikes, not walk batters, and pitch effectively in the latter innings of the games and hold the lead from the Giants starters, then there really could be playoff baseball being played in AT&T Park this October.

The task at hand is tough, but not too tough. The opportunity is here for the Giants to take care of business starting with this upcoming ten game road trip that will lead them through Los Angeles, Arizona, and San Diego.

If San Francisco plays to its potential and they get some breaks, the stretch drive will be fun to watch and there should be the smell of garlic fries and the sight of orange jerseys at AT&T as the playoffs begin.