This was the day to turn it around...this was the day to get back to .500. The stage was set, Lincecum was on the hill vs. former Giant Kevin Correia. The Giants know Correia, they know his tendencies...should score a lot of runs right? Again, the Giants showcased offensive impotence...one run against Correia? Are you kidding me? Kevin freakin' Correia...

Tim set it up perfectly, had 10 k's and showed his dominance over the Padres' hitters, only problem is our batters made Correia look like Johan Santana...So guess what? Tim gets his third no decision in a row and hasn't won a game since being in Wrigley Field. The Giants scrounged up enough offense to put up a run in the top of the ninth to give them a 2-1 lead? Score sound familiar? Yeah, that's right the first two games ended with the score 2-1 in favor of the Friars..who I think have the best mascot EVER...a bald fluffy monk bouncing all over your dugout will make anyone smile...

Here comes our All-Star Closer Brian Wilson...first batter..infield single...second batter..out...third batter..walk...next batter..walk...and up comes David Eckstein, probably one of the most annoying players to watch in the league...first pitch, he leans in and takes the all off his shoulder..no attempt to move out of the way..run scores, it's tied. And just to make things perfect, Scott Hairston comes up and hits a single to win the game...

The Giants are now 0-6 in Petco Park and the Padres have won 6 straight games...The Giants are on a plane to Seattle...wonder what the conversations are like on that plane...

Some side notes...remember how I talked about who we needed to call up for some much needed offense? Jesus Guzman? Yeah, he's here now...and this was his line 0-2 with one strikeout and two errors on ROUTINE throws to first base...welcome to the big leagues my friend...

..did I just finish watching yesterday's game again? I could have copied and pasted yesterday's entry and used it for tonight's entry...

Tonight's game was a battle between two struggling pitchers. Chad Gaudin vs. Jonathan Sanchez. They are basically the same pitcher...lots of walks..control issues. Exciting stuff right? Nope..this game was a snoozer..I actually fell asleep during the 4th inning. One of the few times that I have felt that watching a Giant game was a waste of time. Why? Because it was the same problem as yesterday. Giants hit 1-10 with RISP. Last night, they were 0-11 by the fourth inning! The man of the night...Emmanuel Burriss. It seemed like every time a big hit was needed, he was up to bat. It was not his fault...every hitter before him failed to move the runner to third...or struck out. The Giants know they are struggling...just look at the looks on the faces of the players in the dugout. Another winnable game..another great pitching performance...wait, ok it wasn't great. Sanchez did have control issues but he got into a groove later in the game. He only gave up 2 hits, one just happened to be a big fly over Lewis' head.

The pressure is on Bochy..another lineup change...with an interesting twist. Rowand at leadoff? He hasn't done that since playing for the Phillies...but it worked. He was 3-4 tonight..that was half of the whole Giants' hit total. Bochy needs to find the right lineup to maximize the teams run potential. It looked good at first..Giants scored first on a Burriss infield RBI single..why is that significant? Because the Giants are 15-0 when they score the first run...make that 15-1 now.

Did Sanchez pitch well enough to keep Tim Alderson and Madison Bumgarner off his back? I think so..but it's obvious that he has a lot on his mind. He needs to learn to control his emotions, one bad call...a ball that should have been a strike..and he gets frazzled.

We are not 0-5 in Petco Park..but that should change tomorrow night. Tim LinCYcum will take the hill vs. former Giant Kevin Correia. This is must see tv folks, I expect Correia to hit a few batters..maybe throw one right into the dugout towards Bochy..

Interesting side note..they showed a couple of shots of people working out at the game. Who does that? Who says "man, i have to work out..gotta get to Petco Park"? Are the Padre games so horrible that a person would choose to spend 45 minutes on an elliptical machine or thighmaster than watch Chase Headley strikeout? I go to games to do the OPPOSITE of working out...in fact, what I do at the games give me the NEED to workout...Garlic Fries..Hot Dogs...Cotton Candy...

...fundamentals....fundamentals...for the first four innings of the first game of this three game series with the Padres  the Giants had someone in scoring position and achieved nothing. A Velez single and stolen base led to nothing...a double from Winn led to another zero...it was the story of the night. You really have to feel badly for Zito, six great starts in a row...and he is now 1-4 with an ERA of 3.62. Let's look at that number..3.62. That is a decent ERA, great actually when you think about Zito's first two years as a Giant. Do you know that Zito is ranked 21 in ERA in the National League? Not impressed? Check out who he is above on that list: Jake Peavy...Edinson Volquez...Roy Oswalt...and a certain number 55 on your beloved Giants. Zito is dealing...his confidence is up and he is challenging hitters...what is his problem? His hitters are not scoring runs for him..the Giants average 1.94 runs for him everytime he pitches..he is this year's Matt Cain. I really questioned the lineup they ran out there for him today. Velez leading off? Aurilia over Ishikawa? Especially since Chris Young is a righty..and Ishikawa is hitting better as of late. The Giants need all the help they can get against Chris Young. They have faced him 3 times this year and have a grand total of ONE run against him. That's right...one run! Why does it seem like Young magically turns into Peavy when we face him? This guy's fastball tops out at 87 MPH. Another Padre magic trick is turning Scott Hairston into an all-star..for some reason this guy kills us...

I do feel a shake-up is imminent. Tomorrow is crucial for Jonathan Sanchez. Another bad start and we could get acquainted with Madison Bumgarner or Tim Alderson real soon. Nothing sparks performance like competition. This shake-up will affect the lineup also. The Giants have absolutely no HR's from the 1B position. ZERO from Ishikawa and ZERO from Aurilia. What can we do to fix that?

...Drum roll?.....Ta-da Jesus Guzman! Call him up from Fresno..can he hit? yes..he is batting .363. Is he young? yes...24 years old. Power? 6 HR's so far in the young season. Can he play defense? NO...NO....NO. He is definitely a defensive liability, but you have to make sacrifices my friends. Let's sacrifice some defense for some offense. We play Seattle in the short future, call him up to play DH..let's see what he can do..

..sigh...what can we say about last night's game? You want drama...you got it...want home runs? You got it. How about a great performance from Tyler Walker? Sorry, we are all out of that....Last night, after a heroic 3-run homer from Ray Durham to tie the game 5-5, Walker served up a batting practice mistake to Mike Fontenot to give the Cubbies back the lead. Kerry Wood came in and collected his 21^st save. This brings up an interesting discussion...what is happening to our bullpen? In the beginning of the season, Vinnie Chulk, Tyler Walker and Keichi Yabu were lights out...guaranteed to hold a lead...after 85 games...Chulk has been designated for assignment...Yabu(before last night) gave up 8 straight hits to 8 batters...and Walker gives up the winning home run to Mike Fontenot? Wow...I understand giving up a winning home run to Derrek Lee...but 5 foot 7 Mike Fontenot? Let's analyze this for a few minutes....this guy is batting .256....hits .259 on the road...and in night games he hits .232. I think the stats speak for themselves. So what is the solution for this bullpen? It seems like the bullpen is playing a game of musical chairs...Billy Sadler comes up from Fresno...then he goes back down...Sergio Romo comes up from Connecticut....Vinnie Chulk is designated for assignment...Osiris Matos joins the team..and so on...who knows what will happen this weekend. But I love the youth movement that is happening right now. As of yesterday, the Giants have 10 guys this season who have made their MLB debut. But, last night's loss could not be pinned solely on Walker. Recently promoted C Eliezer Alfonzo had a chance to end a Cubbie rally by throwing out Kosuke Fukudome at third on a botched double steal. Alfonzo focused his attention toward second base and did not even notice Fukudome trotting to third base. If a throw was made to third, Fukudome would have been out by a mile....which would have killed the rally...and prevented a Geovany Soto 2 run single to center field.

Tonight, the Giants throw out Mr. Franchise...the Freak himself(read this week's Sports Illustrated!)..and hopefully this year's National League All-Star starting pitcher...Tim Lincecum. He is 9-1 with a 2.38 ERA and leads the N.L. in strikeouts. He faces Sean Gallagher. He is 3-3 with a 4.36 ERA. Go Giants!

...so here we are....37-47....third place in the NL West...and only 5 games out of first place! It is July 2^nd with the trade deadline looming ahead. The San Francisco Giants are in a weird situation. Let's be honest...the West can be won by any team in this division. So, are the Giants going to be buyers or sellers come July 31^st? The next few weeks will answer that question. It will not be easy...the Cubs are in town for a four game series and have the best record in the National League at 50-34. And the dreaded Dodgers will invade AT&T Park this weekend. The Gigantes will face the Cubbies 7 times this month...the Dodgers 6 times this month, and just to make things more interesting...the D'backs fly in for a 3 game series. This month will have a huge impact on the NL West standings and by July 31^st who knows where the Giants will be...One guarantee is that your Giants will compete...with a lineup that is heavy on pitching and not-so-heavy on hitting. Every game will be played with the same intensity of a Game 7 playoff series. This year's Giants are a complete turnaround compared to last year's Giants. We no longer have a left fielder who refuses to chase pop flies or dive for balls in foul territory. The new and improved Giants have a guy who has no problem putting his body on the line to help his team. Fred Lewis has demonstrated he is more than capable to roam Left Field for years to come. He leads the Giants in stolen bases and is second place in the National League in triples. F. Lew has unparalleled potential and will be exciting to watch as the season goes on. The Giants are much more laid-back and carefree compared to last year's squad. The clubhouse atmosphere is no longer silent...no more roving reporters searching for any tidbit about steroids to put in their articles the next day. This year's Giants genuinely care about each other and will fight for anyone wearing a Giants uniform. Don't believe me?...then go to a game...grab some garlic fries...a frosty beverage...and prepare to be a believer.

Last night, the Giants took game 2 of their 4 game series with the Cubbies. Matt Cain dominated the highly potent Chicago lineup and baffled them with his ability to mix speeds and paint corners with his fastball. The Giants only needed 5 hits to beat the Cubs last night with a score of 2-1. Brian Wilson collected his 23^rd save to preserve Matt Cain's win. He is not 4-5 on the season.

Transactions: C Eliezer Alfonzo and P Osiris Matos have joined the Giants. C Steve Holm and P Billy Sadler was optioned to Fresno.

..giants ended their streak..schmidt looked back to normal getting 10k's...but what was up with kline givin up the bomb to mr. soriano....but its ok..a win is a win...now we are goin for 9 straight wins....keep hope alive giant fans

..poor matt cain...7 solid innings..down the drain...we're goin for 10 now

..that's 8 my friends...8 losses in a row....we are now 4 and a half back of first place...and we continue to spiral to the bottom of the NL west...in an interview with Brian Sabean he actually said "if thinks do not become right...this will become a sinking ship"....not an encouraging thing to say....what happened to noah lowry last night? last time he faced the nationals he pitched 6 innings..and allowed no runs...last night he pitches 5 innings and allows 6 runs...what happened to our stellar pitching rotation?..and i hear that now we are going to be using the "closer by committee" system..which i highly agree with...benitez needs to get his confidence back..he needs to learn how to pitch again...i say we throw hennessey into the closer role...he is solid...or bring up sanchez and throw him out there....we have nothing to lose..cause anyone can blow a save..and we already know benitez is an all star when it comes to blowing saves...and what is going on with bonds? he is hitting .240....would u pay 19 mil to a guy hitting .240? yes he is still barry bonds...and yes he still get the respect..but if u notice, more people are starting to pitch to him...he is not getting walked as much...last night he had 2 opportunites to come through for the giants...but a big ZERO in the RBI column that night...i wonder how much money he is gonna ask for this offseason...check this out...i heard this on the radio...there is a website that is offering armando benitez gear its hilarious!..here is the link : http://www.cafepress.com/cp/search/search.aspx?cfpt=&q=benitez&cfpt2=&copt=&source=searchBox

i do not know how to feel about this....about a few hours ago i was hearing about a possible schmidt trade for future star Lastings Milledge...and nothing happens...in fact, no deals were done from the Giants management office...this means, Mr. Sabean feels the team we have now can get to the promise land..its all or nothing now...I am leaning towards disappointment right now because we should have done something..this team needs an injection of energy...it needs hope for the future...i believe the fans are owed this...the fans pay the payroll of the players...the fans spend tons of money on expensive food at the yard...and the fans have seen the giants put up mediocre teams on the field the past few seasons...didnt anyone want schmidt? wasnt there a team out there that wanted durham or feliz? or what about benitez? wait a second...of course no one wants benitez....after the trade deadline we are 51-54....still old...still not hitting...still not winning...what will happen in the offseason? more silence from the front office? if thats the case...expect more silence from the fans...expect looks of disappointment...expect seats to become empty at the yard....

..lots to talk about...it's 9:24 pacific time...about 3 and a half hours til the trade deadline...i know our Gm Brian Sabean is fielding calls for some prospects..maybe a starting pitcher....maybe some bullpen help...maybe a young guy or 2 to build up the franchise..interesting rumor i heard today...mr. jason schmidt to the mets for young phenom and crowd high-fiver Lastings Milledge...what do i think about that? i hate to say it...but i think its a good idea...why? we only have schmitty for about 9 weeks...he has talked about going to seattle...and testing the market...so he has been looking for a while....we would not be able to afford the contract that he would demand...yes, he is a great pitcher..and he has been there through the good and bad...but the future needs to happen my friends...and lastings milledge is the future....this guy is gonna be a solid player...he is a young guy, full of energy...a crowd pleaser...he would be a great pick up...it is interesting that the mets have been shopping milledge for a while now..he has been connected to all the rumors...maybe being traded to the a's...but please bring the young high-fiver to the san francisco...another trade rumor...the starting pitcher we were looking at was greg maddux...what do i think about this...bad idea..and i quote from one of my favorite south park episodes..if we trade for maddux..."we're gonna have a bad time"..if you are wondering which episode that is from...its from the famous aspen episode where the crew travels to aspen for a 2 day stay in a condo...why is it a bad idea to trade for maddux...one..thats another veteran to add to the squad...we need youth...another reason...we tried to sign him 2 years ago and he rejected us..its obvious he does not want to be in sf...and yes you can say..what about finley? he rejected us a few times...but we still went after him..well, finley is a special player....he had his own reasons...the fact of the matter is he is here...and one of my favorite players now...the giants have lots of young talent to trade...but we need to keep them...they are the future..lastings milledge is the future...let's get him....and yes i know my girlfriend loves schmitty..and would hate to see him go...so she is not agreeing with this idea right now....on another note...this past weekend i watched my girlfriend run a 26.2 mile marathon in san francisco...her performance was nothing short of amazing...i am very proud of her...and my adoration for her has gone through the roof....miss anna sanchez..congratulations on a great accomplishment!

On the benitez note....what is killing me right now is the fact that he is totally denying any responsiblity for these blown saves...sir you are the one who threw that batting practice fastball down the middle to a guy who hasnt hit a home run in 180 at bats...guess what the outcome was? ding ding ding..you win the prize, a home run over the center field wall...cmon benitez...accept some responsiblity..the truth is..you are our closer..what does a closer do? he secures the game for us...you had  a one run lead..top of the ninth..it is your job to get  3 outs...thats it....