Giants 4, Indians 1: Is Barry Zito back? Tonight was by far his best game of the year, and in his post-game interview he said his attitude was more or less, fuck it, I've got nothing to lose. In the... # continue reading
Four games until 81, the half-way point of the season. It’s been a weird one for the Giants. They’re not good, and sometimes they’re very bad, but at least they’re interesting. It’s been fun to watch the subplots: the younger players... # continue reading
Vinnie Chulk’s Giant days have come to an end. The Giants have designated him for assignment and called up Sergio Romo, the Merc’s Andy Baggarly reports on his blog. (UPDATE: Chris Haft reports Chulk won’t accept a minor-league demotion if... # continue reading
The trickle of mid-season minor league promotions has picked up pace. Remember Ryan Rohlinger, the kid in spring training who got everyone abuzz with a couple excellent games? He’s just been bumped up to AA Connecticut from High-A San... # continue reading
All thanks to the baseball gods that I was out of earshot of yesterday’s game from the fourth inning onward. I turned off the radio when it was 6–3 Giants, and though it was obvious Tim Lincecum wasn’t feeling his... # continue reading
When I get back from San Diego, I have to clean out the old paint cans from the supply closet, install Miss Monkeypants's new car seat for our upcoming road trip, and hire Rick Peterson to figure out why I've... # continue reading
I'm on a rare business trip with little blog time, but it's worth passing along this tidbit. At SFO last night, nursing a beer and waiting for my boarding call, I caught the last two innings of the Giants... # continue reading
Watching Friday’s game, in which the A’s took advantage of Barry Zito’s wildness and the Giants did absolutely nothing with the very charitable Greg Smith’s six walks, I had a bad feeling about the entire weekend. I was right. The... # continue reading
Sorry for the bad 411, folks. According to MLB.com, Erick Threets would have had to stick with a major league team if he had been claimed off waivers. So there goes the premise for my previous post. Here's my best... # continue reading
…at least no one baseball-related. I hope Threets’s mom or other family members love him no matter how shaky his fastball command. But the hard-throwing lefty who was out of options went unclaimed when the Giants cut him, and he’s... # continue reading
Giants 10, Rockies 7: A seven-game road trip to two hellholes. The Giants won five and played one more to a tie except for a play at the plate. This weekend's series against Oakland will be a big test: home,... # continue reading
Before we get started, help me settle a domestic dispute: Mrs. Malo thinks Engrish is borderline racist. I disagree. Making gentle fun of other people for their lack of mastery yet unabashed enthusiasm for another language might be slightly mean-spirited, but it doesn’t... # continue reading
Giants 3, Nats 2: My excitement about the four-game sweep is tempered by the state of the sweepees. Them Nats're in a bad way. Half their players and most of the good ones are on the DL, and they had... # continue reading
Thoughts about the Giants' weekend in Washington, where the nasty heat and humidity made me wonder why I would ever complain about my home turf's cool, foggy summers: * If Barry Zito can go five innings and only give up... # continue reading
* The second day of the draft rolls on. The Giants have taken lots of pitchers. Maybe one of them will be the next Jonathan Sanchez, a 27th round pick in 2004, or Brian Wilson, a 24th-rounder in ‘03. If... # continue reading
This quote demonstrates Brian Sabean's finely-honed personal skills: "[Posey]'s on the fast track and Bengie's clock's winding down," Sabean said. "It's really up to him how soon he wants to get going and how soon he can get here."It's true... # continue reading
The Giants took Florida State catcher Gerald “Buster” Posey with the fifth pick in the draft. The big surprise is they passed on slugging first baseman Justin Smoak. The bigger surprise is that 10 teams passed on Smoak — he went... # continue reading
Before we get to this afternoon’s game, some breaking news: Noah Lowry might be done for the year. Not a big surprise, but still a disappointment if true. I was looking forward to see if a healthy Lowry could regain... # continue reading
I’ve gotten around to casting my All-Star ballots, a practice that would result in mass arrests in any other context except pre-1980 Chicago. Mrs. Malo, who did not grow up a baseball fan or among them, was first exposed to... # continue reading
Giants 10, Mets 2: The G's made short work of Oliver Perez tonight, a pitcher who bears some resemblance to his mound opponent Jonathan Sanchez: tall skinny lefties with whip-like fastballs and sliders. Has Sanchez surpassed Perez? Note that Perez,... # continue reading
Of all the sticky personnel moves between now and April 1, 2009, the Giants seem to have miles to go to figure out third base. The outfield is fairly settled: Lewis in left, Rowand in center, and Schierholtz in right.... # continue reading
Giants 4, Padres 3, 10 innings: We human beings jump to conclusions that reinforce our biases. Wow, lots of purple cars on the road these days, huh? Maybe it has something to do with the purple car you just bought,... # continue reading
