Welcome home, Marty. It couldn’t have been a very pleasant ride back, after the double header with the Phillies. The Giants didn’t have a very bad homestand, altho, once again, they didn’t do well against a good team with a winning record, Minnesota. They were fortunate to come away with one win. Detroit is simply one of the worst teams conceivable. The 8th inning of the last game can only be described as “bush”. The homestand, in general, highlighted everything that we’ve been saying about this club since the season began. You are dead on when you say that the best thing they have going for them is the division they’re in.

Click Below for more right on baseball from Ed Stern!If they were in the East there would not be much likelihood of beating out Atlanta and a serious question respecting the wild card. Having said all that, the Giants are still an interesting club to follow. One still has trouble explaining why they came so close to winning it all last year. with weaknesses up and down the lineup. This year they don’t have Kent, who is having another monster year. He doesn’t miss Bonds at all. The Giants, to this point, have left more men on base in scoring position than any team in the majors, Aurilia is hitting .182 with men in scoring position and Alfonzo is still hitting .220. They traded a likely 20 game winner, Ortiz, for a pitcher who is less and less impressive with each start. You mentioned that, in order to be successful pitching, one has to be in command of at least two pitches. Moss, apparently, has four pitches. The problem is that he is “in command” of none of them. What does Alou do if Williams. pitching tonight, throws a good game? When Ainsworth comes off the DL in a few days, does Moss stay in the rotation and Williams get sent back to Fresno? How does Sabean feel about Williams taking over and Moss sitting on the bench? The possibility of the Giants going with three rookie pitchers in the rotation, and heading for the playoffs, is not beyond consideration and is one of the things making the club interesting, to say the least, and intriguing, for that matter. The re-emergance of Rodriguez as a strong set-up man, immediately after he once again blew a winning game,provides a measure of Alou’s managerial talents. Rather than completely giving up on Rodriguez, he let Rodriguez know that he hadn’t lost faith in him and proved it by sending him out shortly thereafter in a tough situation. Rodriguez pitched well, and since then has taken over the set-up role with a pitching display that is comparable to his best efforts of a few years back. This may be the best move Alou makes all year. Rodriguez solidifies the bullpen. Having him available in that role makes life immeasurably easier for the others. (Think of Nathan) There are still problems with the team, problems which have been apparent from the start and have yet to be addressed. The knowledgeable Glenn Dickey touched on one of them in this morning’s paper. In writing about Aurilia and Alfonzo.he reports that “Aurilia is not the hitter he was two years ago. Alfonzo is an expensive mistake. The two should bat no higher than 6th.” The left side of the infield was predicted to be a problem before the season actually started. The prediction has certainly come true. The solution, though, is not as obvious. It may not be as simple as having them hit in the lower part of the order,as Dickey suggests. The team has a player sitting on the bench who, as evidenced by those occasions when he is given a chance to play, should be starting, Perez. Perez doesn’t hit for power but neither does Aurilia these days. Perez has,however, been hitting for a decent average and hitting in the clutch. Aurilia is one of the culprits who make up the Giants record of hitting into more double plays than all but one other major league team. In addition, and no small matter, Perez is an outstanding fielder with considerably more range than Aurilia. As for Alfonzo, he is hitting a consistent .220 and little more need be said. Does he get replaced with Feliz? As you pointed out when writing about Dye, they are stuck with him and his thirty million dollar contract. The Giants, unfortunately, are accustomed to this problem, which doesn’t make it any easier to contemplate. Smart people, Sabean and Beane, do make their mistakes every once in a while. Dickey’s suggestion that Bonds hit third is well taken. He has been left with the bat in his hands too many times after the first one or two men in the lineup get on. Of course, if Aurilia is not there to hit into a double play it will be helpful. However, Snow hitting 2nd, as suggested may not be the answer. Grissom has done remarkably well in the lead off spot and should probobly be left there. Durham hitting second, in front of Bonds, seems to be the ideal setup. The rest of the lineup Alou can tinker with in his inimicable fashion. Finally, they need a left handed, decent hitting outfielder, who can spell Bonds and come in as a pinchhitter with a threat to do damage. Enough of Bernard. There are some gutsy calls to be made. Pitching and infield, but there are alternatives which can make this a better team when they take the field than they now are.
Ed