Giants vs Champs 7/6-7/8

[GiantsFanatic]

Have the Giants broken the two-year spell the St. Louis Cardinals held over them? Their three-game series beginning Friday should answer that question.

The Cardinals dominated the Giants in 2005, winning four of six games, and fared even better against them last season, finishing 4-1 against San Francisco. That included a two-game September sweep at Busch Stadium that extinguished the Giants' flickering postseason hopes. The aggregate score in that series was 20-5, St. Louis.
But the Giants recovered this season, sweeping a two-game set April 18-19 at AT&T Park. That launched San Francisco's season-high eight-game winning streak that continued against Arizona and Los Angeles.
Rich Aurilia, a key figure in that April series against St. Louis, appears primed to resume his success, having gone 5-for-9 in his first two games back from the disabled list. Aurilia drove in the winning run in the 12th inning of the April 18 game and added two RBIs the next day.
Pitching matchup
SF: LHP Noah Lowry (8-6, 3.46 ERA)
Lowry's 7-1 with a 2.45 ERA at home but 1-5, 4.66 on the road. In his most recent start, he went 6 2/3 innings and allowed one run to beat Arizona last Saturday. On April 19 this season against St. Louis, Lowry earned the win with a two-run, seven-inning performance.

Barry Bonds' homer total: 751

Last homer:
off Reds RHP Aaron Harang 7/3

Last game:
1-for-4 at Reds 7/5
R, K

Next game:
at Cardinals (Mike Maroth) 7/6

Bonds vs. LHP Maroth:
.500 (1-for-2), RBI, BB

Bonds barometer:
Bonds said he could play the entire three-game series at St. Louis before the All-Star break.

Complete coverage >

STL: LHP Mike Maroth (5-2, 5.08 ERA)
Maroth's third start in a Cardinals uniform will be his first at home. The Giants may be a tough match for him, though. Several San Francisco hitters have hit him well, including Bengie Molina (.462, 6-for-13), Randy Winn (.400, 4-for-10) and Ray Durham (.385, 5-for-13). Player to watch
Barry Bonds is batting .429 (12-for-28) during a 10-game hitting streak. He's 1-for-2 with a single and walk against Maroth.

We need to take 2 oiut of 3, or a sweep, something potsitive to head towards the allstar break.

[GiantsFanatic]

Giants win 4-3, 3 of those runs came off 3 STL errors, Roberts scored 2 runs, Durham went 2-5, Vizquel went 2-4 aswel, Lowry picked up the win going 6 ip, 1er, Hennessy went to close and allowed 2 er! So my boy Messenger came in and got the save, Messengers needs to be our closer, now Hennessy!

[love_that_reefer]

Yeah we tried to give it away...again! Our bullpen is good at that. Lowry pitched great and made Pujols look very bad. Bonds came up with runners on first and second and blew it which was disappointing.

[GiantsFanatic]

Giants win again, based on STL errors, 4 of them! Roberts goes 2-4, Winn goes 2-5 2rbis, Vizquel goes 2-3, Sweeney has a pinch hit rbi single in the 7th giving us a lead. Lincecum was solid 6ip 3er, 6h, 5k, 3 bb, our bullpen almost lost it for us again! Taschner 3er in the 8th without recording an out! Hennessy came on to close it for us, Giants 7 Cards 6.

[Turn 2]

Weren't all the errors by Aaron Miles of St. Louis?

[love_that_reefer]

Yeah Miles ****ing sucked ass as he has no arm and shouldn't be playing SS. Don't give Sweeney any credit as it wasn't a RBI single. Miles made an error on the throw. Bochy is really starting to piss me off. Anyone who bats a guy at the leadoff spot who is hitting .218 is a moron. Two managers in a row that suck!!

[hot_corner_gurl]

Well the Cards defeated the Giants 7-0. Zito allowed 6 runs in 4+ innings, but his fellow teammates couldn't offer much support.

[Turn 2]

Zito really needs to pull it together in the 2nd half of the season or the signing of him is going to be a huge bust.

[hot_corner_gurl]

Well, Bochy is saying he's not "afraid" of what's happened to Zito, and I don't know if Magowan or Sabean are. If they were, they'd probably never tell though.

[Turn 2]

Yeah they will never say that it was a mistake, cuz they would look like fools.

[hot_corner_gurl]

Little late for that dontcha think?

[love_that_reefer]

Too early to be calling it a mistake. So far, pretty shitty. Righetti, Zito and Molina need to have a sit down and go over his mechanics and pitches. Hitters have him figured out. Zito proves the critics wrong in one aspect. People always think it is easier to pitch in the NL and for the most part they are right but Zito is awful in the NL and pretty damn god in the AL.

[hot_corner_gurl]

Keep in mind that this is Zito's first time in the NL. He's never faced some of these batters before, some only on occasion during interleague play. Other than that, he doesn't know how to pitch to some of these guys. The hitters were able to see that "weakness" in Zito and capitalize on it. The only reason that Zito was so good in the AL was cause he pitched there for half a decade. This is his first time in the senior circuit. I think he'll get better as time progresses.

[love_that_reefer]

I agree and that's why I said it's too early to call it anything but a disappointment thus far. When hitters are just waiting to crush that big curve, something has to change.

[hot_corner_gurl]

Zito doesn't yet know the "hot" and "cold" spots of these hitters, and for some reason whenever I watch him pitch his curve never has that sharp 12-6 break on it. I don't think it's cause he was fooling around with his windup in the spring. Either way, he's going to have a chat with the pitching coach and Molina. Hopefully they'll figure something out.