Posts Tagged ‘Omar Vizquel’
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The First Domino To FallJuly 29th, 2008
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With the trade of second baseman Ray Durham to Milwaukee on July 20, San Francisco parted ways with a player who held the longest tenure on the team and officially started a new chapter. Whether the Giants can unload remaining veterans such as Rich Aurilia, Omar Vizquel or Randy Winn before the July 31 trade deadline remains to be seen. In dispatching Durham to the Brewers, the Giants answered the question of whether they would send away their veterans with a resounding yes.
In return, the Giants received low-level prospects in outfielder Darren Ford and left-hander Steve Hammond, two players who might or might not factor in the team’s future plans. The trade of Durham was more about creating a vacancy at second base rather than the players headed the Giants’ way.
Shortstop turned second baseman Emmanuel Burriss, can now be plugged into Durham’s old spot on a full-time basis without the threat of controversy or hurt feelings. Not that Durham ever had the label of a complainer, but the Giants simply have a hard time letting go and constantly feel the need to satisfy older players at the expense of younger ones. Read more
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Second-half QuestionsJuly 17th, 2008
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San Francisco’s slide into the All-Star-break avoided becoming a complete collapse thanks to Tim Lincecum’s pitching gem on Sunday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The right-hander tossed eight innings in a 4-2 victory to halt the Giants’ six-game losing streak. At 40-55, the Giants sit in third-place in the NL West, seven games behind the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. While the Giants’ play on the field doesn’t represent a team capable of contending, the standings fail to lie, which might stagnate the team’s plans for youthful progress in the second-half.
This scenario has greeted the Giants before. For the last three seasons, San Francisco has greatly needed to reshape their roster with youthful pieces, but have fallen into patching the cracks with a veteran pitcher here or a veteran outfielder there. They chased after the illusion of a pennant because it seemed so close and so easily reachable, but ultimately out of their grasp. This illusion was created by the division’s mediocre teams, which all lack the dominance to sprint out and leave the others in the distance. The Giants’ rise in the standings hasn’t been because of their strong play, but the general lack of quality throughout. It only seems as though the Giants have risen because everyone has sunk down to their below-average level. Read more
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A Strange WeekJune 1st, 2008
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After dumping a double-header to the Florida Marlins on Sunday to end last week, the Giants achieved the indescribable, a three-game sweep of the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the desert to stir thoughts of the improbable. Could the Giants inch their way into the division race?
Two straight home losses to San Diego, which could have been three, tempered any fantastical thoughts about the Giants contending this year and ushered in a dose of reality. At 24-33, San Francisco is still a long climb from playing even baseball and reaching the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers. But, the Giants’ sweep of Arizona and stirring comeback to dash the Padres’ hopes proved once again that this season won’t lack for entertainment value.
Down 3-1 to San Diego in the bottom of the tenth on Sunday, San Francisco pinned a loss on major league saves leader, Trevor Hoffman with three runs for a 4-3 victory. Rookies Brian Horwitz and Fred Lewis played big roles in the stirring win. Horwitz singled as the tying run after a Ray Durham single opened the tenth, while Lewis tripled to tie the game and then scored the winning run. Read more