If there is such a thing as a test in the first week of the season, this was it. Walking into AT&T Park on Saturday, I was most curious to see how the Giants would respond to adversity.
The team crumbled with an eight-run seventh-inning disaster the night before to fall 14-6 to Atlanta. As the series moved to the weekend, San Francisco was facing the Braves’ daunting pair of aces – Tim Hudson and John Smoltz.
Maybe it was the quick turnaround – the teams returned to the park hardly 13 hours after Friday’s contest ended – that prevented the meltdown from stretching into the next game. Or perhaps it was the veteran-loaded (to put it kindly) clubhouse that chalked the stinker up to an off night. But nearly before I settled into my seat, the Giants made everyone in the park, especially the Braves, realize that a new day brings a fresh start. And what a start it was.
After shortstop Omar Vizquel walked and stole second to open the game, Moises Alou found out just how beneficial it is to bat in front of Barry Bonds. Hudson fell behind Alou in the count, 3-1. With Bonds looming in the on-deck circle, Hudson knew he had to come in to Alou. San Francisco’s right fielder obliterated Hudson’s next pitch for a two-run home run into the left field bleachers.
Hudson’s nightmare only got worse as the first three Giants batters in the second all scored on a bases-loaded double by Vizquel, the beginning of a five-run inning. Vizquel came to the plate again in the third and promptly drove in back-up catcher Todd Greene to push the lead to 8-0.
Eight runs in three innings. Off Tim Hudson. Yep, I would say the Giants aced this test.
And now, just over a week into the season, the Giants have dodged a few bullets to sit at 4-2. To begin with, they have done better than survive against a difficult schedule.
Opening the season with three 2005 playoff teams, San Francisco has to like its results against the first two. A split at San Diego, especially with Padres ace Jake Peavy on the hill for opening day, sounds about right. But it was taking three of four from the Braves over the weekend that made the Giants and their fans believe that last year’s third-place finish is firmly in the rear-view mirror.
Even more encouraging for the team is that its strong start has occurred without the expected contributions from its best hitter, starter and reliever.
Four wins in six games with Bonds hitting a paltry .167 with no home runs or RBIs? More than holding their own against the Padres and Braves, even as Jason Schmidt went 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA in his two starts? Winning two straight against Atlanta despite the wretched performance by the relievers on Friday? And all of this with closer Armando Benitez beginning the season on the disabled list and starter Noah Lowry joining him there two innings into his first start? The Giants are flying sky high.
Before the bottom fell out last season, general manager Brian Sabean masterminded the team’s streak of eight straight first- or second-place finishes in the NL West. Sabean again appears to have hit the jackpot with his annual mix-and-match offseason doings. No. 2 starter Matt Morris, San Francisco’s prized addition, performed to expectations in helping the Giants to their win over San Diego. But it has been the less-heralded pick-ups that have really stood out thus far.
Jamey Wright stared down Atlanta’s fearsome lineup and pitched into the eighth inning on Saturday, a remarkable showing for any pitcher in his first start of the season, nevermind a journeyman No. 5 starter. Wright (1-0) allowed four runs and credited fellow former Rockie Greene with much of his success. In addition to keeping his battery mate focused, Greene recorded hits in his first two at bats and scored twice against Hudson.
Welcome back, Tim Worrell. You’ve been missed. A shaky closer situation makes any manager uneasy, but having Worrell as Plan B has to help Felipe Alou sleep better. The right hander has already saved two of San Francisco’s wins.
Jose Vizcaino, Steve Finley and Mark Sweeney? Trusted veterans all, these three late 30’s additions have already proven their worth. If it’s not at the plate or in the field (and the Vizcaino-Vizquel anchored infield turned four double plays on Saturday), it’s certainly in the clubhouse. These guys know how to win.
The tests will keep coming for the Giants. The team simply cannot afford to continue its dance with the disabled list. Getting Benitez healthy and fixing his mechanics is paramount to the team’s success. Injuries will be par for the course, especially with so many players in the twilight of their careers, but it will be up to Alou to manage the lineup and pitching staff to keep everyone fresh and productive. Still, with such a strong bench, San Francisco’s skipper occupies an enviable position.
Slow start or not, Bonds is obviously the engine that makes the Giants go, and every accommodation should be made for his continued health. That Alou left his star in the lineup into the late innings despite the team’s huge lead on Saturday was foolhardy. Yes, the Braves’ offense came alive to post six runs in San Francisco’s eventual 12-6 victory, but an eight-run cushion absolutely should signal an early exit for Bonds.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier. The defending NL champion Houston Astros are in town, set to play three games in two day’s after last night’s postponement. And then the Giants head south for a weekend series against Los Angeles.
But given the team’s inspired start, you can bet the Giants are intent on securing two series wins to make a statement that they will be a force throughout the summer.
Now, if the team could only do something about all this rain.
