Well, that sucked.
1. The offense, while chocked full of league averageness, is still going to be an issue most days. I know that’s going to come as a shock to you, but the offense is going to fluctuate between just enough to get the job done and terrible. Which one will show up today’s game? It’ magic inside! I tend to think that because the Giants’ offense is primarily powered by Huff and Torress — two players having great success at odd times in their respective careers — the foundation is a little shakier than most.
2. Speaking of offense, Pat Burrell has really been a godsend. After struggling in the American League, Burrell has been hitting in the National League. He was one of the few hitters in the Braves series that actually did anything. He went 4-13 with a pair of doubles and couple of walks. Burrell is sporting a wOBA in the .370 range since he joined the Giants. You can deal with his outfield shenanigans as long as he’s hitting. Depending on how he finishes out the year, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Giants offering him a deal in the range of 1-year with an option. Though, with a player of Burrell’s skill-set, you wouldn’t want to go too far down the road in years.
3. Releasing Denny Bautista was a move that needed to be made. Replacing him with Todd Wellemeyer wasn’t. Appearing in his first game since being recalled, Wellemeyer gave up 4 hits and an earned run without retiring a single batter. Wellemeyer is Denny Bautista but without the strikeouts. The Giants bullpen ranks 3rd worst in baseball in walks issued per 9 innings (4.6) and adding Wellemeyer to the mix isn’t going to help matters. He’ll get dubbed the ‘long man’ but the Giants need quality relievers more than they need a pitcher that can throw 2-3 innings in a game. And do you really need a designated long man when you’re carrying 13 pitchers?
4. Anecdotal evidence but Pablo Sandoval looks sluggish at third base. He missed more than one ‘get-able’ play against the Braves. However, the advanced fielding metrics say he’s right around average — slightly up from last season.
5. Torres had a fine series going 6-17 with 2 doubles and 2 stolen bases. Torres has been my favorite Giant this season on offense and defense. He takes amazing routes to the ball, utilizes his speed perfectly, and for a little guy has some solid power. If not for Huff, Torres would have been the biggest surprise on the team this year.
The Giants are heading home to play 4 games against an under-performing Cubs team (47-64 on the year, 8-13 since the All-Star break). The G’s currently sit 1.5 games back of the Padres. A sweep of the Cubs would put the Giants in a great position to pass the Padres when they come into town on Friday for a 3 game series. At worst, the Giants need to split against the Cubs.
