Marty, One hundred and fifty -nine games behind them; a long stretch which has seen the team go from despair, with a pitching staff, both starters and bullpen, in disrepair, to cautious optimism, wondering how a team with such obvious flaws remains in contention.

Click below for Ed’s answer.

Three games remain and a two way tie for first place, a two way tie or a three way tie for the wild card, a possibility. The three games are with LA. The Dodgers will not relax until they get the first win, which will give them a lock on first place. A tie-breaking game with the Giants, after three losses, will bring back memories of the year they blew a 13 game lead in August to the Giants. To add to the bizarre nature of this three game scenario simply contemplate the Astros joining the Giants in winning these last three games.

Pitching, good, bad or indifferent, is going to determine how it all ends up. The Giants are throwing Rueter tonight, followed by Tomko and Schmidt. If a tie-breaker is needed, Lowry is going to discover what it feels like to be a first year rookie with an entire season riding on his shoulders. A few years back Sal Torres was in a similar position for the Giants and melted down. Lowry may not end up a winner, but his performance this year belies a meltdown. Alou described Lowry, a short while back as a “boy with a lot of man in him”.

The Giants pitching lineup for these three games is replete with questions. Rueter is not the pitcher one looks forward to throwing out there with a season up for grabs. It is questionable whether he will get out of the 5th inning. If he manages to last five innings, he will, if past performances are a reliable indication, give up two, three or four runs. On the other hand, he may rise to the occasion, go five innings without giving up more than a run or two, and turn the game over to the bullpen. He has done that a few times lately. If the bullpen gets into the game at that point, it is anyone’s guess if it will be able to hold off LA in the late stages.

Assuming the best, a win with Rueter pitching, there are still unanswered questions. Tomko did not have a good outing the last time he pitched. If he pitches back to his previous five or six starts, when his performance easily matched that of any other starter in the league, the Giants will feel confident that they will be in the ballgame, at least. If his last start is an indication that he has a tired arm, they are in trouble.

Schmidt has become a mystery. This is a pitcher who, for most of the year, appeared to be on his way to a Cy Young award. His last six starts have produced an ERA of over 6.00. If he is capable of pitching back to his earlier accomplishments the team can win his start with a minimum of run support. Since his groin injury, his pitching doesn’t leave one with a feeling of great confidence.

These are three question marks. It is conceivable that we will see three outstanding exhibitions. If we do, the Giants could turn this three game season into one marked with success. It would be a fan’s delight to see Lowry try to cap a wonderful rookie year with as important a victory as one could conceive of.

Aside from the pitching, a few words about the performance of some of the other key players might be in order. Durham has been playing some of the most sensational second base one could wish to see. Difficulties he had earlier in the year, with rare exceptions, have disappeared. He is making the pivot, he is going back into center field for remarkable catches. To top it off, he is hitting, over this past month, at a .400 clip. The chips are down and Durham has come through.

Pierzynski is the other side of the coin. Over his last 100 at bats he has been a total loss. His fielding, never a strong point, hasn’t improved. There isn’t much time left in which to make a better impression. An off-season decision respecting whether to re-sign him is certainly going to take into account this past twenty-five or thirty games.

Barry seems tired. He has said that he is “tired and old”. He hasn’t been swinging the bat in typical Barry fashion these past few games. What is frequently overlooked is the number of times Bonds is on base. On each of these occasions, he isn’t on his way back to the dugout to catch his breath and relax for a few moments. A forty year old man needs his rest. Barry gets less of it than any other player in the game. Just look at his on-base percentage if anyone doubts this.

Cruz is another player who has come through when the going has been tough, as it has been this past month. He isn’t the greatest shortstop playing these days. His range may not be great, but he picks up the ball when he gets to it.
He is reliable making the double play. He hits in the clutch. He has hovered around the .300 average all year. He has done all they could have expected of him.

Lastly, there is Feliz. A short time ago, Alou commented that next year they were going to have to find a place for Feliz, that the three way division of playing time among Alfonzo, Snow and Feliz was at an end. Feliz had played his way into a regular,daily job, according to Alou. How they manage to accomodate this remains to be seen. Snow has had and continues to have a magnificant season. He saves games in the field repeatedly. Hitting behind Bonds. he has provided the support that had been missing for too long. Alfonzo has been playing well and his remaining two year, eight million dollar salary seems to mandate his continued presence.

A word about Alou. Everyone loves Dusty but the Giants didn’t suffer in the change. They are very different managers, each successful in his own way. However, one can reasonably argue that Alou gets more out of this team than Dusty would have done.

On to tonight’s game and let’s hope that the remaining games will be meaningful.

Ed