San Francisco Giants: Comeback team of the year?

There’s no doubt that Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants should start for the National League in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday in St. Louis.

Not only is Lincecum the reigning NL Cy Young award winner, he also:

Leads the league in winning percentage (.833)
Is tied for the lead in wins (10)
Ranks second in ERA (2.33)

Lincecum and All-Star teammate Main Cain certainly form the league’s best 1-2 duo.

Don’t be surprised if they lead the Giants to the wild card berth (finishing behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.)

After them, San Francisco’s starting rotation isn’t that shabby.

Despite currently being on the DL, Randy Johnson has shown he still has something left at the age of 45.

Barry Zito isn’t worth anything near his $18 million annual contract for each of seven seasons, but he is pitching well enough to be a factor in the Giants’ success again.

These four could provide the Giants with a formidable rotation if/when they make the playoffs.

Considering San Francisco hasn’t finished better over the past four seasons than 75-87 in 2005, it could be called the “comeback team of the year.”

What was Bochy thinking?

What was Bruce Bochy thinking when he left the Padres for the San Francisco Giants?
Maybe he was thinking it was time to move on because the Padres showed no interest in renewing him as manager after his contract expired in 2007. Or perhaps he thought the Giants gave him his best chance at winning a third-straight NL West title.
After one week, Bochy appears to have made a foolish decision. His team is 1-5, tying its worst start ever (1967 and 1980) since the Giants moved west from New York in 1958. It’s easy to assume that will continue when the Giants start a three-game series in San Diego tonight against the Padres.
Not so fast!
Is Barry Zito going to continue on his pace with an 0-2 record and 8.18 ERA? Is Barry Bonds going to remain healthy, hurting the team more defensively and attitude-wise than he helps its offensively?
Never take one week of a six-month season and draw conclusions from it.
Remember when the Dodgers lost 13 of 14 following the All-Star break last year? Everybody said they were out of it. Remember when the Dodgers then immediately won 15 of 16? Many said they would win the World Series. They weren’t out of it after two horrible weeks; nor did they win anything in the playoffs after two great mid-summer weeks.
Austin Kearns of the Washington Nationals sure has it right after one week of the 2007 season. His team has an NL-worst record of 1-6, losing four straight.
"I laugh at people who hit the panic button after the first week," he said.
Baseball fans will probably be laughing at the Nationals all year. But don’t be so quick to hit the panic button with Bochy’s Giants, who could become a factor in the NL West, after all.