5 Things to Know About the Giants Heading into September

The San Francisco Giants are hurting but are still very much in contention in the weak NL West. 

They are about to embark on their longest homestand of the season and will hopefully be getting some key players back from injury.  Here are 5 things that every Giants fan should know as September nears.

Favorable Schedule

Granted a schedule is only as favorable as a team allows it to be.  

Beginning Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres, the Giants have 34 games remaining.  28 of those games are against sub .500 teams.  The other six are against the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Basically the Giants can control their own destiny from here on out, it's up to them to capitalize on their chances.

Brandon Belt Hits Home Runs

Brandon Belt may not be hitting with the batting average that he posted throughout the minor leagues but he is hitting home runs.  His batting average will come, but Brandon Belt has good plate discipline and can run into mistakes from time to time and hit the ball a long way. 

Would the Giants like to see a higher average along with the power? 

Sure.  But with no one else in the line up capable of the long ball in any given at bat besides Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Belt provides one more layer of power potential.

The Injured Will Return

By all means, the Giants have suffered an inordinate number of injuries this year and more significantly, of late.  The injured and banged up players will slowly return to the active roster in the next two weeks and the team will be better for it. 

Brian Wilson is of special concern as he is an elite closer in the game.  If there was a healthy Sergio Romo to fill in for Wilson as he recovers from elbow inflammation it wouldn't be so bad. 

Romo is eligible to come off the DL during the first week of the home stand.  The Romo situation is one that Giants fans should be watching closely as Brian Wilson has not begun to throw a ball yet.

Re-Enforcements Are on the Way

Every team can expand their rosters on September 1, but I challenge anyone to show me a team that needs those re-enforcements more than the San Francisco Giants. 

Not only will the Giants be able to strengthen their bullpen with more arms, they will also see the return of the two bullets. 

Darren Ford and Emmanuel Burris provide a significant speed presence off the bench late in a game.  Giants fans have seen firsthand what they are capable of once they are on first base. 

Having the ability to insert either of them as pinch runners late in a game is a game changing weapon.

The Starting Pitchers Are Strong

This may be the most obvious slide Bleacher Report has ever had. 

One through four, the Giants starting pitchers are going to fight and keep the Giants in every game for the rest of the season. 

The fifth spot is still a problem, but it is for most teams. 

If the Giants can find a way to score some runs for Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong and Madison Bumgarner, the fifth spot will not be as big a problem. 

Of course that has been the challenge all year, now it's time for guys to step up.