Dan Uggla Trade Rumors

Over the past few weeks the Giants have been linked to multiple trade rumors with Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins. While Dan Uggla is a fantastic baseball player, the Giants do not need to trade Jonathon Sanchez for him.

Jonathon is a young, talented pitcher that the Giants do not want to part ways with. He has ability to strike out the best hitters in the National League on a regular basis, the only thing he lacks is consistency. Also the Giants are short on Starting Pitching. With Brad Penny leaving through Free Agency, Madison Bumgarner is penciled in as the #5 starter. If a injury, or poor start by any starting pitcher occurs then the Giants have only 1 or 2 pitchers in the Minors that could step in and have a decent chance of throwing a good game.

Dan Uggla's strength is power. Over the past 3 seasons, Uggla has batted .249, averaging 31 home runs per year. Moving to AT&T park, those home run totals are sure to decrease. The Giants have an mindset based on small ball, and defense. Uggla is not a small ball type player. Defensively is he not that great either.

Another problem the Giants would have is that Dan Uggla is a second baseman. A trade for Uggla would mean Freddy Sanchez would have to move to third, and Pablo Sandoval would move to first. Pablo is a better defensively as a third baseman, than a first baseman. Also Sanchez would move to third base, where he hasn't played in years, and would be forced to adjust to a unnatural position.

Financially this wouldn't be a great deal either. Dan Uggla is in an arbitration year, and his salary is expected to sky rocket. If the deal turns out to be only a one year contract, then a trade could be a one year rent-a-player situation. Brian Sabean has said he does not want to be in that type of situation.

Still, Uggla is an offensive force that could put thump into the Giants lineup. He is an all-star, and is a top offensive producer from the second base position. He also finished 9th in the NL in walks, a stat the Giants desperately need to improve. However, the Giants do not the pitching depth to trade Jonathon Sanchez for Uggla. If a trade could be worked out involving multiple, non elite prospects for Uggla then the Giants would have a bat in the lineup that can produce runs.

Garko Could Catch

Ryan Garko's (who the Giants traded for last July) stay in San Francisco may be coming to an end. After batting .285 and 11 home runs through July 28th for the Cleveland Indians, the Giants traded for Garko believing he could be a run producer for the Giants offense. That did not work out as Garko hit .235, 2 home runs, and 12 RBI's for the Giants. With that being said, Ryan Garko is still young, and should recieve another oppurtunity in San Francisco.

Right now the Giants are in need of a catcher to platoon with Buster Posey, as he continues to delevop. Ryan Garko is a catcher, and should be able to platoon with Posey. Ryan Garko was a catcher at Stanford University, where in 2003 he won the Johnny Bench Award(given to the nation's top catcher). He was a catcher in the Indian's farm system, until he switched to first base to recieve more playing time because at that time the Indians had a surplus of catching prospects.

Any of the veteran catchers that have been linked to receiving interest from the Giants are all would-be back-up catchers on any other ball club. Having spent the second half of last season in the National League, and given more time to get comfortable in the Bay Area, Ryan Garko should be able to improve the offensive game he showed as a Giant last season. Even a minimal improvement over what he did last season will be better than what some of the veteran catchers will contribute.

Watching Garko last season, it was easy to tell he hustled on every play. I think a switch back to his natural catcher position will be an easy transition for him. There is no doubt this will be an experiment if tried out by the Giants. But the way I see it, it is a low-risk and high reward scenario that needs to be explored. If Garko hits like many people believe he can, he will be a great offensive producing catcher. Ryan Garko is eligible for arbitration and after a decline in almost every statistical category last year, his pay of $420,000 should not increase very much. Letting Garko transition back into the catcher role will give Buster Posey his fair share of playing time and allowing him to grow into an everyday player.

Penny Signs With Cardinals

On the first day of the winter meetings, the Giants were in on a surprise. Brad Penny has reached a 1 year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals for 7.5 million dollars.

Early this week Brian Sabean had said he planned on trying to re-sign Penny this offseason. I'm pretty sure the money from both clubs were competitive, so I think Penny would rather be a Cardinal. However, the loss of Penny may be a good thing.

With Brad Penny out of the picture, it leaves Madison Bumgarner an opportunity to be the #5 pitcher in the rotation. He is one of the best prospects in the major leagues and this his chance to show what he has. Last season Bumgarner pitched well in limited action. In 10 innings pitched, he only allowed two earned runs (1.80 ERA) and he also struck out 10 batters.

The Giants should now shift their focus on getting a long reliever who could start in case injury or problems with the rotation. Two seasons ago Barry Zito struggled and was moved to the bullpen, the same thing happened to Jonathon Sanchez this past season. In case one of these pitchers, or Bumgarner struggle and are sent to the bullpen, or minors in the case of Bumgarner, the Giants will need a pitcher who can keep them in the game.

49ers Playoff Chances

After a stellar start, the 49ers reached hit a road block. That road block has put them in their current scenario where at 5-6 they are 2 games behind the Cardinals in the NFC West division.

With 5 games left in the season, the 49ers have a decent shot at making the playoffs. Of their remaining games they play two teams with winning records. Those games are against Arizona and Philidelphia, however both these games take place away from Candlestick Park. The other three games are against Seattle, St.Louis, and Detroit.

On the other hand Arizona also plays two teams with winning records. They will play Minnesota, and Green Bay, both of which beat the 49ers in close games. Also on their schedule are the 49ers, Seahawks, and Detroit Lions.

The 49ers are currently on a winning streak, although only 1 game, this streak will have to continue for any chance of them to win the division. All eyes are looking at the big showdown against Arizona that takes place on Monday Night Football next week. However, the 49ers can not be caught sleeping this week against Seattle because a loss will put them in a huge hole that would seem insurmountable to come out of.

Should Posey Start?

As the chances to re-sign Bengie Molina are diminishing, it seems most likely the Giants will sign a veteran cather that will split time with Buster Posey. Some names that have swirled around include: Yorvit Torrealba, Ivan Rodriguez, and Henry Blanco. If one of these, or another veteran back-up catcher is signed should Posey be the starter?

Any back-up type catcher the Giants sign will not be able to produce offensively like Bengie Molina did. Molina was the Giants #4 hitter last season, and finished second on the team in RBI's and homeruns. Not many catchers have that type of ability, and it will be hard to replace such a key part of the lineup. With prospects I usually think it is best to let them develop before throwing them into the fire. However, Buster Posey is not an average prospect. He has potential to be a superstar in the major leagues.

Posey attended Florida State only one year ago, where in his final season he won every award he qualified for. In this past season, his first season in the minors, Posey split time between A and AAA ball. He produced nicely batting .325, 18 homers, and 80 RBI's.

Posey has a rare ability to hit and play well defensively. Any back-up type catcher the Giants sign will not be able to produce offensively like Bengie Molina did. It is really a no-lose situation if Posey starts. If he plays poorly, the Giants will have a veteran catcher that will replace Buster Posey, and play solid baseball. However, if Posey plays well they will have a catcher that can produce offensively, and have decent speed, unlike Bengie. Regardless of how Posey plays this year, he will only improve in future years.

A few year ago, Minnesota was faced with the decision similar to the Giants. Minnesota had a prospect by the name of Joe Mauer. They ended up trading their starting catcher, A.J. Pierzynski, to allow Mauer to play. Now Mauer is an elite player, and MVP of the AL. I'm not saying that Posey will be as phenomenal as Joe Mauer, but he has all the tools to make him into a great player.

The Giants Need For A Bat

The past season was the first time for years the Giants had a realistic shot at the postseason. Barry Zito showed signs of his former self, and Cain improved considerably. Tim Lincecum remained the league's best pitcher, and the Giants bullpen was one of the best in the league. Much of the Giants pitching staff will remain for this year and from that alone will have a great shot at the postseason. However, a great shot is far from a spot in the playoffs. If they want a chance of making the playoffs this coming year they will need a big free agent acquisition. Brian Sabean, the Giants GM, has said that he does not plan on going after one of the two elite outfielders in this year's free agent class, Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. But I believe they need too.

The Giants have shown interest in "second tier" talent but that will not improve they offense of the team by much. Many of these players are already in or past their mid 30's and are on the decline of their career. Not to mention they were all playing in contract years. A few minimal upgrades are not going to improve the team as much as a big player would. Some of the "second tier" talent in the past few seasons that the Giants have acquired are: Edgar Renteria, Ryan Garko, Dave Roberts, and Juan Uribe. Some of these players have worked, some haven't, but it's obvious you are taking a chance with a player like that. With Randy Winn, and Randy Johnson both leaving San Francisco, the Giants will have the money to sign one of the elite players.

Out of the two free agents, I would perfer Jason Bay as a Giant. I think Matt Holliday is a better player, however he is much more likely to get more money and years in a contract than Jason Bay would. Matt Holliday is also not great away from hitter's ballparks, where his numbers drop tremdinously. Jason Bay is more of a complete player in my mind. Scott Boras, the agent for Matt Holliday, has called Holliday the elite talent in the free agency market, while the agent for Jason Bay has compared his client to Holliday. Holliday who is 29, is two years younger than Jason Bay really finished off the year incredibly well. Defensively, each outfielder is decent at their posistions, but none is outstanding. Offensively is where these two players are special.

In 2009 Jason Bay hit 36 homers, 119 RBI's, however his average was down, batting only .267. However, he drew nearly 100 walks, a stat the Giants were last in the league in. Jason Bay's slumped in the middle of the season really affected his batting average. Holliday hit .313, 24 homers, and 109 RBI's in a season split between the A's and the Cardinals. Homerun totals will be expected to drop a little after a move to the bay area, but they should still remain high.

The Giants need an impact bat if they want to contend for a playoff spot. Bengie Molina, who had 20 home runs and was the Giants #4 hitter is most likely going to leave the team due to free agency. Pablo Sandoval is only 23 years old and you can not expect him to be able to carry the team offensively like he did much of last season. A 3-4 punch in the lineup of Sandoval-Bay would give the Giants a great chance in every game. With Bay batting behind Pablo, The Panda will see better pitches to swing at and should be able to better control his free swinging tendencies.

Signing an elite outfielder needs to be a priority for the Giants. They will vastly improve a struggling offense, and together with Pablo Sandoval will be one of the best 3-4 punches in the league. If the Giants sign a big bat, pressure will be put off the shoulders of the pitching staff and their playoff chances will greatly improve.

Tim Lincecum Wins Cy Young

For the 2nd straight year, Tim Lincecum has won the National League Cy Young. This has also been Tim Lincecum's second full season in the Major Leagues putting him in a category all by himself. The 25 year old stud only won 15 games this past season, but that was not the deciding factor for the award.

Lincecum posted a 2.48 ERA, a 15-7 record, 261 Strikeouts, and a 1.05 whip. His ERA was second in the league, and led the league in strikeouts, and whip. Despite his Win-Lose ratio decreasing, Timmy clearly improved overall upon his first Cy Young season. He trimmed his ERA down from 2.62 to 2.48. Opponents hit .206 off him this season, compared to .221 in 2008. His walks also decreased from 84 to 68 walks in nearly identical innings pitched.

I think the deciding factor for Lincecum's narrow Cy Young victory was his strikeout total. Power pitchers often are more popular and get more awards than finesse pitchers, much like power hitters compared to finesse hitters. Strikeouts are the Home Runs for pitchers. With that being said, I take nothing away from Lincecum who obviously deserved to win the award for the second straight year.

Change In Direction

Over the past few days, I have decided to change the direction of my blog. I have been writing mainly about game analysis. However, people that visit the site can easily see a similar analysis from the Giants or 49ers offical websites.

Because of this, I am now going to focus on other stories. It will show more of my opinion of the team, not just what happened in the game. Starting very soon, rumors, and other stories will be the focus of the blog.

I am currently in the stage of moving, and will not be posting as frequently as I have been. Within a few weeks things should be back to normal.

Thanks for reading - Hope you will continue to read and enjoy!

Bumgarner Debuts

Madison Bumgarner made his major league debut against the San Diego Padres. Tim Lincecum was originally scheduled to make his start, but due to back spams was strached.

Bumgarner was effective in his first game as a Giant. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, and only allowed 2 runs. Both runs allowed were solo homeruns. Despite the homeruns, Bumgarner showed great command and when he left the game, he had a chance to get the victory because the Giants were in the lead 3-2.

The Giants were not able to hold on to the lead. In the 8th inning, the Padres scored, and got a 4-3 lead that they would hold on to. The Colorado Rockies won today, and with the Giants loss, the team is now 3 games behind the Rockies in the NL Wild Card. Barry Zito will take the mound today in the rubber match against the Padres.

Giants X Factor

As the Giants try to get into the postseason, one player will have to step up and push the team over the top. The X Factor for the Giants is Freddy Sanchez.

When the Giants made the trade for Freddy Sanchez, they expected a dependable #2 hitter. However, injuries have kept him out most of time since becoming a Giant. Now he is healthy and will have to contribute if the Giants have a chance of reaching the playoffs.

Besides Pablo Sandoval, the Giants do not have another hitter that can get on base consistently. Just the presence of a runner on base, can cause stress on the opposing pitcher. Stress can lead to higher pitch counts, more mistakes, and runs scored. Not to mention that Sanchez will be hitting in front of Pablo Sandoval, and should see good pitches to hit. There is no doubt he can hit, Freddy Sanchez won the NL Batting Title in 2006. 2nd Base has been a position that hasn't got much production from the players this year. That is why Freddy Sanchez is valuable to the team. He's a patient hitter, gets on base regularly, and will be motivated by being in the first playoff race of his career.

In addition to the offense presence he brings, Sanchez plays outstanding defense. Even with his recent defensive gems, Eugenio Velez is still a liability playing 2nd base defensively. Defense and Pitching are what the Giants are built around.

Pitching has been the strong point of the team all season. With the Giants' lack of offense, they will still be heavily relied on. Nevertheless, they are the finest pitching staff in the league and should be able to hold it together down the stretch.

Overall, Freddy Sanchez is an huge upgrade for the team. He will be the key in deciding the fate of the San Francisco Giants season.

Shawntae Spencer Named Right Cornerback

Shawntae Spencer has won the starting cornerback job over Dre Bly.

Dre Bly was signed after Walt Harris suffered a season-ending injury. Bly had been all but penciled in to be the starting corner alongside Nate Clements. He has 40 career interception in 10 season, and plays the position well. None the less, Bly lost the job to Spencer..

Shawntae Spencer has been a 49er since he was drafted in the 2004, out of Pittsburgh. Over his career he has started at corner but came in camp behind Nate Clements and Tarell Brown for the starting cornerback posistion.

I'm not sure if this is a full-time job for Spencer, or if it's only a one week start. He has not played against first team offenses all preseason, but still won the job.

Brad Penny Shines Again

The Giants opened their series against the San Diego Padres with a 9-4 victory. The offense, along with Brad Penny had an excellent game.

Brad Penny continued to shine in a Giants uniform. He pitched 7 innings, and only allowed 2 runs. In both his starts as a Giant, Penny has shown great ability. He has gone 2-0, and has a 1.20 ERA. Even the biggest Penny fans could not have imagined what a great addition he has been to the team.

Freddy Sanchez returned to the lineup today, and went 2-4. However, he was not the star of the game. Juan Uribe hit 2 homeruns, his 11th and 12th of the season, and got 5 RBI's in the game. Because Sanchez has come back, Pablo Sandoval moved to first base to keep the hot hitting Uribe in the lineup everyday at 3rd base. Edgar Renteria also homered, blasting his 5th homerun of the year. Today was a rare, but much needed offensive performance from the Giants.

Tim Lincecum takes the mound tomorrow as the Giants continue the series against the Padres. Despite the victory, San Francisco remains two games behind the Rockies in the wild card.

Prince Fielder Leaves Giants Stunned

In the bottom of the 12th inning, Prince Fielder ended the game with one swing of the bat. He homered to right field giving the Brewers a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants were once again lead by their spectacular pitching. Jonathon Sanchez pitched six innings, only giving up one run. The Bullpen also had an amazing game. They pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings before Prince Fielder homered off Merkin Valdez.

Offense was once again the weak spot. San Francisco went 1-9 with runners in scoring position, with the only hit coming from Pablo Sandoval in the first inning. The Giants had plenty of opportunities, but failed to break through. The most notable situation came in the 6th inning, when Aaron Rowand grounded into a triple play.

Freddy Sanchez is scheduled to play tomorrow for the Giants as they head back to AT&T Park to take on the Padres. This will be the first start for Sanchez in the last 20 games.

49ers Cut Roster

The San Francisco 49ers cut 20 players today. This trims the roster down to a 53 man roster which had be done by today.

The most notable players that were cut are RB Kory Sheets and FB Brit Miller.

Kory Sheets rushed for 177 yards, averaging 4.5 years per carrie, and also ran for 3 touchdowns. He ran for the 10th most yards during the preseason, and was tied for the lead in rushing touchdowns. However, the 49ers already had the running backs they need. Frank Gore, Glen Coffee, and Michael Robinson all kept their jobs over Kory Sheets.

Brit Miller was a very versitale player. He can play FB, LB, or TE and performed well during the preseason. He caught 5 receptions, 2 of which were touchdowns. Acknowledging Miller's main posistion is FB, the 49ers alerady had a surplus and had to let him go.

For the complete list of players here is the link form the offical 49ers website: http://www.49ers.com/news-and-events/article-1/49ers-Release-20-Players/4fdc66d0-89f8-4b56-9d7c-3f5f14a95725

Giants Get Another Narrow Victory

For the second straight day, the San Francisco Giants get a 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Matt Cain got his 14th victory of the season, which ties him with Tim Lincecum for the most wins on the team.

The Giants beat Milwaukee despite a poor offensive performance. They finished the game going 1-8 with runners in scoring position. On the good side, Juan Uribe and Eugenio Velez both had multi-hit games. Juan Uribe hit his 10th homerun of the season, making him the 4th Giant this season to reach double-digit homeruns.

As usual, pitching and defense lead the Giants. Matt Cain pitched 7 innings, allowing both runs the Brewers scored. In the eighth inning with runners on Brian Wilson came in to close the game. Later, with runners on first, and third, Prince Fielder grounded a ball up the middle, but Eugenio Velez made an outstanding play to catch the ball then gave a toss to the shortstop Juan Uribe, that got Ryan Braun out by inches. Wilson finished the save and got his 34th save of the season.

On Sunday the Giants will look to sweep the Milwaukee Brewers, and move ahead in the wild card.

49ers Lose Preseason Finale

In the 7-26 loss to the chargers many 49ers had their final audition. The current roster of 73 has to be cut down to 53 by Saturday. With this in mind, the 49ers players took the field trying to make a last impression on the coaching staff.

Most starters did not play, or were limited to a few series. This gave many players the chance to prove why they deserve a spot on the 53 man roster.

All of the 49ers points came from a 21 yard pass from Nate Davis to Jason Hill. The young wide reciever, Jason Hill, is fighting for one of the final roster spots. He made a few tough plays that he hopes earns him a spot on the team. In the game Nate Davis went 13-23 for 115 yards.

The San Francisco 49ers start the regular season on September 13th against the Arizona Cardinals.

Bengie Saves Another Game

The San Francsico Giants defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 to open up the weekend series.

Barry Zito did not look as sharp as he has been, however he kept the Giants in the game. Zito allowed two runs to score in the first inning, but that is all he would allow. He only pitched 4 innings due to his large pitch count.

Being down 0-2 in the 6th inning the Giants caught a lucky break. With runners on first and second, Mike Cameron dropped a ball hit by Nate Schierholtz. After that Aaron Rowand singled to score a second run in the inning. Then in the 8th, Bengie "Big Money" Molina hit a homerun to straight away center field to put the Giants up 3-2, a lead the would not surrender.

Another Note in the game was that Dan Ruzler made his MLB debut. Dan soared through the minors this season going from A ball all the way to the majors. In three pitches he blew away, and struck out the only batter faced, Jody Gruet.

This series will continue tomorrow as they Giants hope to gain control of the wild card.

Giants Failed To Pickup Ground

The Giants failed to pickup ground on the Colorado Rockies Thursday. The Rockies, who played 5 hours earlier in the day, lost to the Mets 3-8. The Giants knew that with the victory they would tie the Rockies for the National League Wild Card. However, they lost the game 1-2.

Things started out good for the Giants when Eugenio Velez started the game off with a leadoff homerun on the first pitch. After thae first pitch, the Giants could not pick up a run. Philadelphia answered the call with a Jayson Werth homerun in the bottom of the second, and scored again in the 6th.

Tim Lincecum threw 7 solid innings, allowing both runs. He had 11 strikouts, and only allowed 4 hits. Despite his performance, Timmy got the loss for the game.

Friday night the Giants will take on the Milwaukee Brewers. Bary Zito is in the rare posistion of stopping a losing streak after Tim Lincecum pitched.

Brad Penny Leads Giants Over Phillies

The San Francisco Giants shutout the Phillies Wednesday night to even up the series. In the Giants 4-0 victory pitching proved to be the winning factor.

Brad Penny made his debut for the Giants, and proved a worthy pick up. Penny threw 8 shutout innings, and only allowed 5 innings. It is no secret that Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies home, is an extreme hitter friendly yard. Despite that, Penny proved his ability to win important ball games.

Not every team is lucky enough to have a pitcher equivalent to Brad Penny in the fifth spot of the rotation. Penny is only 31, and is fully recovered from his off-season shoulder surgery. Combining with the Giants outstanding pitching, Penny will ensure a rotation slot that has been shaky since Randy Johnson's injury.

Offensively, the Giants struggled until the 5th inning when a Nate Schierholtz singled scored Andres Torres. Then in the 6th inning, with one run on, Juan Uribe, and Aaron Rowand hit back-to-back homers. This gave the Giants a 4-0 lead that they would not surrender.

Tomorrow the Giants will play the rubber match of the series. Tim Lincecum will take the mound on an extra day off rest. After Philadelphia, the Giants travel to Milwaukee.

Nate Davis Gets Spot on Roster

The 49ers third string Quarterback situation has been settled. Nate Davis won the job over Damon Huard.

Nate Davis has lead the 49ers to two comeback victories this preseason. Last week Davis went 10/15, throwing for 132 yeards. He was the 5th round pick this season, out of Ball State.

Haurd was released early today, ensuring the Davis won the job. Huard is a 13 year veteran of the NFL. During his career he threw for 6,303 yard and 33 touchdowns.

Hamels Wins Pitching Duel Against Sanchez

After sweeping the Rockies, the Giants offense struggled mightly against the Phillies. The Giants managed to only get two hits off Cole Hamels, who pitched a complete game shutout in the 1-0 defeat of the Giants.

Hamels wasn't the only good pitcher in the game. Jonathon Sanchez had another great outing. He pitched six innings, only allowing three hits, and striking out eight. Brandon Medders pitched two scoreless innings in the 7th and 8th innings but the lone run remained the difference in the game.

Tomorrow Brad Penny takes on the Phillies in his San Francisco Giants debut. Freddy Sanchez will be able to return from the DL tomorrow, and Bengie Molina appears to be healthy enough to catch the game. These additions should be able to spark the Giants offense.

Giants Add a New Starter

The Giants have bolstered their starting rotation by adding Brad Penny. Penny cleared waivers on Monday, and was quickly signed by the Giants.

Penny has 101 career wins, and is a clearly a better 5th starter than anyone else on the roster. He'll add experience, knowledge, and the ability to win game to an already great pitching staff. Because Penny cleared waivers he will only cost the Giants around $100,000, and the rest will be picked up by the Boston Red Sox, his former team.

The Giants also claimed Aaron Heilman, of the Chicago Cubs, off of waivers. However, a deal was not worked out so Heilman will remain a Cub.

Giants Sweep Rockies

The Giants swept the Rockies with a 9-5 victory Sunday afternoon. With the win the Giants are now tied with the Rockies for the lead of the NL Wild Card. Matt Cain pitched six innings but did not get a decision in the game.

Edgar Renteria lead the Giants with a Grand Slam in the seventh inning to give the Giants their first lead of the game. Renteria's Grand Slam, his fourth homerun of the season, came with two outs. Renertia had a monster game, going 3-4, with a walk, and 5 RBI's. Renteria also went 2-2 with runners in scoring posistion.

Ryan Rohlinger also had a big game. Coming in the game during the eight inning, Rohlinger got a pinch-hit single allowing two runs to score. It was his first hit, and first RBI's of the season.

Tomorrow is an off-day for the Giants. Then on Tuesday they will play the Philadelphia Phillies as they hope to gain complete control of the Wild Card.

Brad Penny Becoming a Giant?

Recently the Giants sent their 5th starter, Joe Martinez, back to Fresno. Martinez posted a 3-2 record while with the club, but struggled with a 7.52 ERA.

The Giants have an off-day Monday, so the current four Starting Pitchers(Lincecum, Zito, Cain, Sanchez) can go on regular rest if fifth starter is not picked up. Randy Jonhnson has no timetable for his return to the Giants, and the Giants can not wait for him to come back.

San Fransico is still looking up at the Rockies, in the Wild Card. That is why I believe the Giants need to add Brad Penny to the rotation now.

Brad Penny will add to the Giants rotation by his knowledge of the NL West. He also is a proven winner, and left and bad terms with the Dodgers last season. Penny will add all of this without making the Giants give up any talent in the farm-system. Brad Penny was recently released by the Red Sox, and if he clears waivers on Monday, will cost around $100,000. Also from 2006-2008, he was 9-1 against the Rockies.

All players put on waivers are not reported so its hard to tell what else the Giants could do i to improve, but a big bat could be out there. A power hitting Outfielder is what the Giants could use. This could effect Randy Winn's playing time, but he hasn't proven himself this year. The Giants need someone who can hit 4th or 5th in the linup that would bat behind Pablo Sandoval.

Marvel Smith Retires; 49ers Beat Dallas

Marvel Smith, the San Francisco 49ers potential starting Right Tackle decided to end his career today. Smith had been battling a bad back this offseason, and the battle proved to be to tough for him to defeat.

Marvel Smith is a native to the Bay Area and was going home in a 49ers uniform. He spent all nine of his NFL seasons with the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers. On the Steelers, Marvel won two Super Bowls.

The 49ers beat the Cowboys today 20-13 at the Cowboys' new stadium. With Alex Smith not able to play due to injury, Nate Davis proved he is too is a quaterback. Playing most of the second half, Davis went 10/15, throwing for 132 yards.

With the victory the 49ers have improved their record to 3-0 this preseason.

Giants Pull Within 1 Game of Rockies

Barry Zito threw an absolutley beautifully tonight as the Giants roll past the Rockies 5-3. Zito threw 8 1/3 innings and only allowed one run. Zito's ERA is now below the 4.00 mark, at 3.94. After Sergio Romo allowed two runners to score, Brian Wilson picked up his 32nd save of the season.

Leading off in the second inning Pablo Sandoval launched his 21st homerun of the season into McCovey Cove. This was the 50th splash hit in AT&T's history. Pablo wasn't done after his blast, finishing the game 3-3.

The Giants offense improved compared to the past few days, but still only went 2-8 with runners in scoring position. Five Different Giants each got one RBI in the game.

Tomorrow Matt Cain takes the mound as the Giants go for the sweep of the Rockies, and a tie for the wild card lead. With the Dodgers win the Giants remain six games behind them in the division.

Lincecum Dominates Rockies

Behind Tim Lincecum, the Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 2-0. Timmy threw 8 shutout innings in his great outing. Brian Wilson came in and completed the shutout with his 31st save of the year.

The Giants offense continued to struggle in the game. In each of the first 4 innings the Giants left at least 2 runners on base without scoring a snigle run. Then in the 5th inning Pablo Sandoval smacked his 20th homerum of the season despite not being able to play at full-strength. The Giants scored their second run in the 6th off a single by Eugenio Velez.

This win pulls the Giants within two games of the Rockies in the wild card, and six behind the Dodgers in the division. Tomorrow the Giants will send Barry Zito to the mound as they play the second game of the series against the Rockies.

Giants Whipped By D'Backs

In the 3rd game of the series against the D’Backs, the Giants lacked all of phases of their game. The performance lead to a 0-11 loss. Despite their horrific performance, the Giants still managed to win the series two games to one.

Joe Martinez started the game of poorly allowing three runs on the first inning. Martinez was not able to bounce back, and allowed eight runs over 4 1/3 innings. Martinez's ERA rose to 7.52 on the year.

The Giants did not score a run in today's game. However, we have to remember they had to play the game missing their 2-3-4 guys in the lineup. Freddy Sanchez, Pablo Sandoval, and Bengie Molina, were all not available to play in tonight's action.

With Joe Martinez having such a terrible outing it brings the question: Brad Penny? Brad Penny was released earlier today by the Red Sox and is a proven pitcher in the NL West. Penny can keep the Giants in games like tonight. Not to mention he left on bad terms with the Dodgers, and is itching for revenge. He will give the Giants the necessary push in order to win the wild card, or division.

This game is now in the past, as the Rockies come to town with a 3 game lead in the wild card. The Giants big three pitchers (Timmy, Zito, Cain) are all scheduled to pitch.

Shaun Hill Wins QB Battle

The 49ers Quarterback battle has ended. Shaun Hill won the battle that has lasted for months.

Overall, this decision is a good one. Shaun Hill doesn't have the strongest arm, the quickest feet, the best looking release, and is not considered an "ideal" Quarterback. But none the less Hill is the Quarterback the 49ers need.

Hill puts his effort on the field, does not make mental mistakes, and always finds a way to win games. Mike Singletary likes players that put their heart into the game, and Shaun Hill definitely does that. When he needs that extra year, he will drive head first to get it, unlike some quarterbacks that that will dive feet first to protect themselves. He doesn't always make the big play, but he doesn’t make the dumb one either. Shaun Hill has a 7-3 lifetime record, including a 5-3 record last year.

As for Alex Smith, he is only 25 years old, and if he can have better control of the game, and make fewer mistakes could evolve into the starting Quarterback in the future.

Big Money Lives Up To His Name

Stepping up to the plate in the bottom of the 8th inning in an 0-2 count with two runners on Bengie Molina lifted the Giants with a 3 run homerun to ensure the Giants 4-3 victory over the DBacks. Molina was originally left out of the game because of a strained quad, but was the clear choice to pinch hit with a lifetime .600 batting average against Chad Qualls. Molina limped around the bases, and immediately got the curtain call he deserved.

For the second straight game Pablo Sandoval was not in the starting line-up due to his injury. With Freddy Sanchez on the DL the Giants' already weak offense needed someone to stand-up. Bengie stood up through his pain and delivered the Giants victory.

Hopefully this victory will help the Giants playoff push as they look to try and increase their current two game winning streak.

Pablo's Injury

The Panda has been sidelined recently for a strain in his right calf. I read earlier that he only wants to be miss two games, but I do not think that is a wise decision.

It is true that Pablo is one of the bright spots in the Giants' weak offense, however, it is not worth the risk of re-aggrevaiting the injury. If he decides to play and he aggrevates the strain in his calf, he would miss more time, and that would be later in the season when the playoffs are looming.

During the game last night when Pablo came up to pinch hit, it was clear he wasn't right. He had a pretty bad limp and when jogging to first base after the intentional walk you could tell it was painful.

If he is allowed to rest until he is 100% healthy, then he can play the rest of the year and not have the risk of adding to his injury. It will be better to not have Pablo for a few days now in the long run. No need to risk injury and possible shut him down for the year. It's better to have a 100% Pablo for the last 30 games than a 80% Pablo for a few extra games.

Welcome

I would like to welcome every new viewer on my blog. On this page you will experience the joy of reading about your favorite professional San Francisco sport teams. Sports are my passion, and I decided I would like to start writing a blog about my favorite teams, which include the 49ers, Giants, and Warriors. I hope that you enjoy like, and will continue to read my posting - more to come!