So, who is still ready to throw Barry Zito into the nearest dumpster? Anybody?
Zito threw 5.2 innings and gave up one hit and no earned runs. He picked up loss No. 13.
He is 8-13 with a 4.02 ERA.
Now I realize when he is bad, he’s really bad. Zito has allowed four or more earned runs in nine of his 30 starts. In those nine starts, he has allowed 46 runs in 44.1 innings.
Zito is 0-6 in those starts. The Giants are 3-6 in those starts.
Has Zito been inconsistent in his Giants career? Absolutely.
But when Zito is hitting his spots, there may not be a better left-hander in the National League.
In every other start, he is 8-6 with an ERA of 2.30.
Wait, how does someone with a 2.30 ERA have six losses?
Run support.
Whenever Zito allows three or fewer runs, the Giants score an average of three runs per game. San Francisco has scored two or fewer in 11 of those starts.
Zito has seven no-decisions in these starts.
The offense is what is at fault in Zito’s starts. It has been the Giants’ Achilles’ heel all season.
Is the offense improved from last season? Yes.
Do the Giants have a deeper bench? Of course.
But do the Giants have a single guy that strikes fear into the opposing team?
No, they don’t.
On the most recent road trip, there was a different hero each night. It’s time to get back to that.
With Andres Torres possibly out for the remainder of the regular season, it is even more important to get contributions from everybody.
Aubrey Huff is a nice player, but he has been slumping for a couple of weeks now. Torres is out. Pat Burrell is a good player but was paid $10 million to go away by Tampa Bay.
Buster Posey is the most legitimate threat on the team, but he’s only a rookie. Not there yet.
Cody Ross is only hitting .194 as a Giant. Jose Guillen has also tapered off, now hitting .280.
Without a new hero each night, this team struggles. Someone needs to step up.
It seems when the pitching staff throws well, the offense vanishes. Whenever the pitching struggles, the offense comes alive.
The Giants are hitting .206 as a team in September with Guillen, Ross, Pablo Sandoval, and Torres batting below the Mendoza line.
The team ERA in September is 1.68. San Francisco cannot continue to waste outstanding outings by the pitching staff. No more.
The Giants will be facing another guy that has owned them this year: Chad Billingsley.
The Padres seemed to have woken up and are showing the Rockies their run is over. This makes the offense that much more critical.
It is September, and this is the time teams prove where they belong.
If the Giants want to be playing in October, the offense needs to wake up and contribute this month.
They cannot make the playoffs without it.
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