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.