After an abysmal 1-4 start, The San Francisco Giants have rallied themselves into a familiar situation atop the NL West. Thirty-seven games in, the Giants are a half game up on the Colorado Rockies in the West and are tied for fourth in the National League.
With a team batting average of just .237 heading into Saturday’s game against the Cubs, the Giants rank 13th in the National League. Andres Torres and Pablo Sandoval are the team’s top average hitters thus far, yet have been on the shelf with injuries for the majority of the season.
If the Giants want to make another deep postseason run, they are going to need a lot more support from reigning Rookie of the Year Buster Posey. Posey, who’s hitting just .252, has struggled so far this season.
Another Giant who needs to provide more offensive firepower for the Giants, is first baseman Aubrey Huff. Although Huff leads the Giants with 20 RBI, he’s not providing clutch hits like last season.
Tim Lincecum is the best 3-3 pitcher in the league. With an ERA of 2.11, one might expect him to have no worse than a 4-2 record. Lincecum will continue to provide the Giants with quality starts and expect him to pick up wins are a hurried pace if the Giants’ bats come alive.
Madison Bumgarner’s record is tied for the worst in the major leagues at 0-6. For the most part, Bumgarner’s pitching has been solid. His ERA of 4.25 is highly inflated from a few notoriously bad innings. Bumgarner is a quality major league pitcher, and we should expect the wins to start flowing for him as he becomes more comfortable on the mound. Keep in mind, Madison Bumgarner is only 21 years old.
The San Francisco Giants have yet to reach their full potential in 2011. With that being said, if the season ended today, the San Francisco Giants would be in the playoffs and would again have a great chance to make some noise with their phenomenal pitching staff.
The Giants have only played 15 home games, the fewest among all MLB teams. They boast a 10-5 record and have one of the biggest home-field advantages in all of baseball. As the Giants play more games at home, look for some separation in the NL West.
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